Samhain
by Mslead-Kytrin
Summary: It was supposed to be a night of silly costumes, good food, and cheap booze. Not a backdrop to summoned demons, magic, and who knew what else. How had Lucy even gotten into this mess? It had to be Levy's fault. NALU
1. All Hallow's Eve

**HAAAAPPY HALLOWEEN! Man, we are really peppering you guys with fic updates one after the other, aren't we? Sovereign is finished up and Wild Aces should be up sometime tomorrow, but here is our latest offering. Samhain in honor of HALLOWEEN! It is 12 chapters long, not including the epilogue. Lucky 13!**

 **This fic is dedicated to phoenix-before-the-flame! We got her for the Halloween Fic exchange. It was supposed to be a oneshot, but well you guys know us. Kytrin and I are broken when it comes to oneshots. It got away from us.**

 **A little.**

 **ENJOY!**

* * *

 **CHAPTER 1**

 ** _All Hallow's Eve_**

 _the time in the liturgical year dedicated to remembering the dead, including saints (hallows), martyrs, and all the faithful departed_

* * *

Lucy's heart pounded in time with the pulsing music below, and she wondered for the thousandth time just what she was doing.

It had started out as an ordinary Halloween party. Levy had come over early to help with the decorations and the last of the setup. Everything tended to go smoothly with her help, oddly so at times, so Lucy was lucky to have her. The two had laughed and giggled and generally had a great time before splitting up to get their costumes on. And Lucy had actually been in a good enough mood to hum while she'd transformed herself from quiet writer into sassy witch queen.

It was after that things had gone downhill.

The party had started out fine. Everyone had shown up in costume and everyone had been having fun as the food and drink flowed the way only Lucy's budget would allow.

Then her ex had crashed the party, and all hell had broken loose. Lucy had been considerably less than pleased to see him so soon after their breakup, and he'd been upset that he was one of her friends but she hadn't invited him. The invitation had been open, but still she had been hoping for a little more time apart before they saw one another again. Gray was by no means a bad guy, but he could sometimes be a hard headed idiot...

The disagreement had turned into an argument, fueled by perhaps too much alcohol, that had resulted in harsh words and tears in the bathroom before Levy had found her.

Though how _that_ had translated to being up in her attic staring at the most ridiculous excuse for a summoning circle imaginable Lucy still wasn't sure.

She was even more confused by the creature, person, sitting in the middle of it.

"I... what?" She gawked, unable to think of anything more intelligent to say.

She scrambled for her flashlight and hastily flicked it on, swinging it directly onto a face that was all sharp smiles and wicked humor. A face that was half buried under a mop of spiky pink hair, and promised all kinds of trouble.

The owner, _somehow_ , widened his smile and flopped back into a more comfortable position, ignoring the candy corn that made up most of his summoning circle, "You called?"

He lifted a hand to shield his eyes from the beam of light she was shining directly in his face, and scooped a handful of the candy corn to drop in his mouth. The creature took a second to gag before spewing out the candy, clearly not favoring its unique flavor.

"Uhm, no?" Lucy cringed, taking a step back from the man's spew, "Are you one of Levy's friends? This is some sort of joke isn't it?"

"Levy?" The man raised an eyebrow, "I don't know any Levy's. I'm a demon, you're the one who summoned me ain't ya?"

He gestured towards the circle filled with bat-shaped glitter and pieces of candy corn, "Even if this is a damned embarrassment of a summoning circle."

He eyed the drink in Lucy's hand before standing up and swiping it from her, "That's better! At least give me something to wash out the taste of that sugared candle wax you wanted me to eat. You humans call that candy? Disgusting."

Lucy crinkled her nose, thinking this joke had gone on for far too long, "You really expect me to believe you're some kind of demon? I can't believe I burned some of my special candles for this, they're expensive."

"Hey!" the man exclaimed, running back around Lucy from where she was turning to head back down to the party, "I'm 100% a bonafide demon! You're the witch who _summoned_ me!"

He froze, nose twitching as he seemed to take stock of things, listening to the party downstairs, the cheap booze in his hand, the candy, the bat-shaped confetti, and the outrageous witch-costume his summoner was wearing.

"Oh no. Is it fucking Halloween?," the 'demon' deadpanned, throwing his hand up and causing the beer to hit the ceiling, "Gajeel is never going to let me hear the end of this!"

"Uh, excuse me" Lucy blinked, now quite sure she had no idea what was going on, "Of course it's Halloween, where have you been-"

The man cut her off right there, his hand balled up into a fist a foot away from her face. It wasn't the fist that was alarming, but the fact that his hand was on _fire_ that cut her off short.

"-Hell." He finished for her.

"-oh, Hell. Right," Lucy said somewhat faintly.

The demon held the flame for a few more moment before snorting a laugh at her expression, "Not that hell." He snickered, "You humans got that all wrong you know. But yeah... hell. Except now I'm here, and you summoned me missy."

His smirk darkened into something predatory that had Lucy's heart jumping in her chest, and he prowled over to her, "So..." He purred, "What is it you want?"

Lucy swallowed a little reflexively, absently noting how dry her mouth was, "Uh... I wasn't... I mean... I didn't really think it would work? So I don't want anything?"

It was the demon's turn to stop and gawk, "Wait... what?" He asked in disbelief, "You summoned me without intending to make a deal?"

Lucy nodded and he frowned sharply. His thoughts seemed to take up the entire room but he brought voice to none of them. Instead his arms crossed in a way that would've been sulky had her entire focus not been on the fact _she'd actually summoned a real demon into her house._

He narrowed his eyes at her and an instant later he was far too close for comfort as he studied her intently, "No." He rumbled after a moment, "No you had a reason. I can taste it. There's something you want. Desperately. Desperately enough to not only fuel a summoning but to _hijack_ mine."

Wait... what? Hijack?

"I hijacked you?" She yelped, "How is that even possible?"

He shrugged as he leaned back, "Beats me lady, but there it is. Maybe you have a touch of fae blood in there or something."

Lucy sighed, a migraine beginning to threaten after everything that had happened already, "Look. I don't want you here. You're not supposed to be here. This was just some stupid Halloween gag my best friend set up so I wouldn't..." She trailed off and shook her head, unwilling to add fuel to the fire, "Can't you just go home and call this off?"

Natsu rocked back a little on his heels as he thought about it. Could he call it off? Sure. Technically. The mortal woman's magic was either very new or very weak. Whatever weirdness had caused the summons to collide, a possibility that seemed more and more likely the longer he was here, it didn't change the fact that it was a _weak_ summon. She'd lacked the faith and strength to bind him on arrival with it. So he _could_ leave if he wanted. He was more than powerful enough to do so.

Except... he wasn't entirely sure he wanted to. It could be dangerous for the mortal. Not that she needed to know what kind of forces she had meddled with, but it spelled a very dark future for her if he just disappeared now. There was no need to terrify her right away.

Besides, being 'trapped' in the mortal world would be an advantage for any number of reasons. Reasons that would start getting urgent soon.

It didn't hurt that he'd always liked the mortal world. Humans were often fun, and the opportunity to play with them didn't come up nearly often enough for his taste.

Besides... he was kind of curious what this woman could want so badly that she inadvertently summoned a demon lord to carry it out.

"Nah." He grinned at her, and stretched, "I think I'll stick around for a while. Maybe you'll think of your wish or whatever." He bounced slightly on his feet, "Besides, there's a party going on down there right? Seems like an awful shame to miss it!"

"Wait... what?" Natsu's grin widened as he curled his fingers around her wrist and bounced for the door, gleefully ignoring her protests.

Oh this was going to be _fun_.

"Wait! You can't! How are you going to explain yourself?" Lucy demanded, and clung to the most feeble of excuses, "This is a costume party! You can't just show up!"

"I don't even know your name!" Lucy burst.

The demon froze in mid-stride, glancing back at her and grinning slow and fierce, "The name is Natsu miss Witch, and as far as costumes go..."

He grinned, scales emerging under his eyes and sneaking down along his arms. The whites in his eyes began to burn black, irises glowing a haunting green. His fangs sharpened into points and his fingers thickened into sharp, black points. He was an odd mixture of reptile and demon, and Lucy stared at him.

"Maybe going as myself for Halloween isn't that original, but it's better than getting some cheap witch costume at the dollar store," Natsu grinned and flashed a critical eye on Lucy.

She gasped and yanked at one of his horns, eliciting a surprised yelp from him, "Fine! You can stay! just don't cause any trouble okay!"

"You'll leave after the party is over, okay?" Lucy demanded, not as alarmed by his demonic appearance as she should have been. Perhaps it was because it was Halloween, but it wasn't really bothering her.

Of course he didn't pay any attention to her as he walked down the stairs with obvious excitement and disappeared into the crowd of her friends.

Lucy groaned a little and decided she'd just about had enough of her own party, and it was barely past midnight. Why had she thought this was a good idea again?

She couldn't remember, and decided maybe retreating to her kitchen, or even the library, might be a better option than attempting to be social right now. Particularly if Gray hadn't left yet.

She scowled a little at the reminder of her ex and threaded her way to the kitchen... where she found Erza making passionate love to a strawberry cake. She blinked at the sight for a moment and backed slowly away, wary of drawing the redhead's attention. Especially if she'd been drinking.

Her friend was scary on a good day, but was positively terrifying after she'd had a few drinks.

Thankfully, she was able to escape without incident and retreated straight to the library to collect her wits.

In the meantime, Natsu was prowling through the party with an appreciative growl. Whatever else his summoner was or wasn't, she was obviously loaded. And knew how to throw a good party.

The music was pulsing, there was a long table groaning with catered food, and everywhere he turned there was energy.

He shivered a little at the sensation of all the high-spirited lust and excitement surrounding him, and couldn't resist taking a little taste as he slid onto the temporary dance floor and found a hilarious facsimile of a succubus to dance with. Not that he minded.

Natsu curled in close to the faux-succubus, his eyes shimmering with darkness as he danced close with her. He sampled her energy, careful not to take too much to damage the human or make her tired. She wasn't suited to his flavor anyway, but he did enjoy the energy she spent on her dance.

His senses fanned out through the humans, enjoying their unique flavors and passions. Of course that meant he picked up faint slivers of conversation he ordinarily wouldn't pay attention to.

 _"I hope she's okay. I haven't seen Lucy since I sent her up to the attic with that spellbook and all that candycorn."_

Ah, so they were speaking about little Miss Witch.

 _"I've looked all over for her Levy, but she's just gone. You don't suppose your book actually worked and she summoned a demon do you?"_

 _"Stop it Cana! Oh no I think I might have given her the unaltered one, you don't think a demon carried her off do you?"_

The woman sounded frantic enough to make Natsu snort in laughter. What did they think he would do to a little human that summoned him? He was a demon lord, and he liked to think he was above petty kidnapping.

Although it was impressive the human Lucy was able to hijack a demon of his caliber. Speaking of which, he was very late to his meeting with Gajeel and his friend was going to be furious when he found Natsu.

Not that Natsu particularly cared, he was too busy having fun. Although if he were being honest, he felt a little bad for whatever low level demon was going to be thrown in his place. Gajeel was not the most forgiving of sorts.

Untangling himself from the succubus, he slipped back towards where the source of the voices were speaking on a porch. Two women were conversing, and neither seemed to notice Natsu's presence.

"Relax girl." A brunette sipping a glass of what was probably wine smirked, "I was just teasing. I'm sure Lucy's fine. She's got a pretty big house so she may have gone to hide out for a while. You know how she is."

"Especially after Gray." The other, a petite girl that either had interesting taste in hair color or was part fae, responded grumpily, "That was the whole point in this was to take her mind of him, and give her a chance to have some fun again."

"Was that the point of the summoning too?" The first teased, and Natsu stifled a laugh at the way the little fae puffed out her cheeks in irritation, "You should've known that was going to backfire the moment you let her off by herself."

"I was going to join her!" The fae huffed indignantly, "She was just supposed to set things up while I took care of a few things down here, but by the time I went up there she was gone and the circle was all messed up. Like something had happened, gosh I hope I gave her the right spell!"

The worry was back, and Natsu cocked his head curiously, wondering just _why_ little miss fake fae was so concerned. Did she believe that strongly in ritual magic and summoning? It was quite curious and he took a half step forward to introduce himself just as the first woman set her drink down.

"Alright. If you're that worried let's comb the place again. There's only so many places Lucy is likely to run to. You start with the library and I'll check her bedroom alright?"

"Okay!" The little fae burst before rushing off and leaving her friend to roam off and try and find Lucy.

Natsu watched the fae go, following after her with sauntering steps. He was certain of it now. The light way which she moved and how small and quick she was, this was a woman from the fae realm. She wasn't human at all.

How had she ended up here, and a friend with a mortal no less?

Natsu followed her to a large room, watching her disappear inside. He grinned and stepped in quietly after her, blanketing himself with shadows to hide from sight.

"Lucy!" Levy exclaimed, rushing over to her friend and wrapping her in a hug, completely unaware of the demon watching everything, "You're okay! I was so worried about you!"

She seemed to swallow nervously and she hugged her blond friend tighter, "You didn't, uh... happen to do anything with that circle we set up did you?"

Lucy straightened a little at that and eyed her smaller friend with a mix of dread, suspicion, and resignation, "And if I did?"

Levy's eyes widened, "You did?" She squeaked in horror, "Lucy are you alright? Did something come through? Did it hurt you?" She frantically checked her friend over, and paused, "You didn't make a deal did you?"

Lucy pulled back from her friend's horrified questioning and waved at her, "Whoa! Slow down! Yes, I'm fine. Relatively speaking." She opened her mouth to continue responding only to snap it shut and eye Levy suspiciously, "Why are you so worried about something coming through? I thought the whole thing was supposed to be a gag."

"It was!" Levy assured her friend anxiously, and then sighed, her shoulders slumping, "But only after I tweaked the ritual a little." She looked up at Lucy imploringly, "Please tell me you didn't actually summon something?"

Lucy groaned and pinched the bridge of her nose, "Him."

Levy blinked a little, non-pulsed, "What?"

"Him." Lucy replied in exasperation, "I didn't summon a something I summoned a him!" She got up and started pacing, "I thought you were screwing around again Levy! I thought this was supposed to be just a funny thing to cheer me up after the mess with Gray!" She exclaimed, waving her arms a little, "So while you were taking your sweet time of _course_ I went ahead and got started! And the next thing I knew I was done and staring at him!"

"Who is him?" Levy asked in a small voice, and Natsu had to smother a cackle at the worry there.

Lucy sighed, "I dunno. He said his name was Natsu and he was a demon." She leaned back against her desk and crossed her arms, "He said I somehow hijacked his summons and that I had to have been desperately wishing for something when I invoked the ritual. Then he decided to crash my party and ran off."

"Didn't wander off too far, now did I?" Natsu drawled, poking his head around a chair and grinning at the two startled girls, "Nice digs little Miss Witch. Gotta say, you've got a nice place!"

"I'm curious though, why a fae and a human are such close friends," Natsu smirked at Levy, his grin splitting open into a wider smirk.

Levy recoiled at the sight of him, and Natsu's smile only grew. So the fairy recognized him? That much was good. Although she clearly had been out of their world for a long time if she still feared him.

"Lucy, you summoned- you summoned not just any demon," Levy whispered, grasping onto her friend and pushing her behind her. Lucy blinked with some alarm, especially how Natsu began to stalk forward, sauntering a step closer to the women.

"I got to say, I don't much appreciate being summoned as a Halloween hoax, can you imagine the embarrassment if this gets out?" Natsu growled at Levy, "do you know how cliché it is for a demon to be summoned at some slumber party? Only low level imps or poltergeists make appearances on _Halloween_."

"Levy, who is this? How do you know him?" Lucy asked, not yet scared but starting to get that way by her friend's reaction.

"Yes, Levy, who am I?" Natsu mocked, bypassing them to inspect Lucy's collection of books, "And who are _you_ for that matter?"

"I'm so sorry Lu," Levy apologized, "I only wanted to cheer you up. It wasn't supposed to actually summon a demon! I'm just a fairy that dabbles in some knowledge based magic. Minor things, like curses or spells, or the occasional Jinx to make a certain ex of yours lose their clothes all the time."

"That's pretty funny," Natsu grinned.

Levy ignored his comment in favor of keeping her attention on her friend, who was looking more than a little stunned at the revelation, though the way her lips kept tugging upwards was a good sign.

"You're really a fairy?" Lucy asked after a moment, scrambling to come to terms with the revelation on top of everything else.

Levy smiled a little, "A pixie if you want to get technical." She met her friend's eyes earnestly, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you Lu. Really. But it's just not something you can easily talk about. I promise I've always been your friend."

Lucy melted a little at the worried earnestness, the same earnestness that had forged their friendship in the first place, and smiled, "It's alright Levy. I believe you." Her lips twitched in amusement, "Though this _does_ explain why you keep stealing my ribbons."

Natsu collapsed into a fit of cackling as Levy turned bright red at that and pouted while Lucy giggled a little before sobering and looking over at Natsu, "So what's your story that just seeing you scares my best friend?"

The fierce way she asked that had Natsu blinking a little as he calmed down and straightened up with a grin, "Well now that's interesting." He glanced at Levy, "Is that why you like her?"

Levy frowned and moved back in front of Lucy in a way that would've been laughable had Natsu really felt like doing anything, "My reasons for being Lucy's friend are my own!"

Natsu snorted a little and his grin widened, "I'm sure they are." He purred and went back to perusing Lucy's books, "You can relax pixie. Your friend Loony got lucky when she summoned me by mistake." He flashed the girls a toothy grin over his shoulder, "I don't play by Zeref's rules anymore."

"You expect me to believe that? You're the demon king's brother, the _lieutenant_ of his army!" Levy burst out, "The demon END, said to be more dangerous that Zeref himself!"

"Rude," Natsu deadpanned, not even looking over at Levy in acknowledgement, "You've been out of the loop for a while. And I was actually on an important business meeting with one of the dragon lords when Blondie over here decided to pluck me from what I was doing."

"Nice party by the way, I don't really mind the detour, but I've gotta wonder where the demon you were _supposed_ to summon ended up," Natsu hummed.

"If I were to guess, probably where you were going," Lucy supplied.

"Poor creature, Gajeel hates unexpected visitors," Natsu tsk'd.

"So who's Gray?" Natsu turned towards Lucy with a dangerous smile, "Is the one who hurt you? He's the one you want me to turn inside-out, right?"

He spoke with a purr, walking away from the books and advancing towards Lucy. He edged past a confused Levy, letting some of his more demonic features fade back away so his face could relax more fully into a smile.

"Gotta tell ya, I don't much care for humans taking revenge on one another anymore," Natsu dropped his finger under Lucy's chin, his eyes surveying her for physical injury, "but I make exceptions. Did he hurt you?"

Lucy scowled and swatted his finger away, "Hands to yourself demon boy." She growled, not in the mood for his games, "And keep them away from Gray too. My problems with him are between me and him. If I wanted to terrorize him like that I'd sic Erza on him, not go through the hassle of dealing with you."

Natsu's eyes widened a little in surprise, not at all used to being talked to like that by a mortal. Gajeel and the rest didn't really count. They were magical themselves and could handle any retaliation he dished out. He slowly lowered his hand and his grin reappeared.

"You _are_ interesting." He purred, "Not out for revenge, and you didn't summon me with the usual crap humans are after. I wonder what it is you really want."

"What do you mean she didn't summon you with a reason?" Levy asked suspiciously.

Natsu turned his attention to her and grinned happily, "Oh she didn't mention that? Miss Lucy over here managed to summon me without a specific purpose! She didn't have a wish and didn't want a deal." He turned his gaze back on Lucy, his eyes drooping a little as he smirked, "Which makes her _very_ interesting."

Levy turned a wide-eyed look on her friend, "You... how?"

Lucy shrugged helplessly, "I don't know. I didn't really expect it to even work. Why would I wish for something?"

She shook her head a little, "But that's not the point." She turned her gaze on Natsu, not sure why she wasn't scared yet, but willing to roll with it, "My question is when are you going to leave and head to this meeting of yours that you're already late to?"

"When I grant your desire," Natsu replied, "that's the way these things work. Until then, I'll make it work with the people I was meeting. Your home is large enough for a dragon."

"What!" Lucy exclaimed, "No it is _not_!"

Natsu whipped his head around to her, smiling broad and wide, "You should have thought about that before summoning a demon lord then."

He headed back towards the door and flashed her a wide smile, "Happy Halloween!"

* * *

 _ **Everyone have a Happy Halloween! Please be safe out there, and let us know what you guys all think of our most recent story! We had taken a short break from writing Reset to get this ficlet done and we are really hoping you like it! You guys know the drill for sneak peeks by now, so drop us a line to let us know how we did!**_


	2. Dia de los Muertos

**We had so many people follow this story! Thanks again for your interest! We hope you like it! Again this was a gift-fic for phoenix-before-the-flame, she had requested a demon summoning on Halloween! And everyone was right, Kytrin and I can't write ANYTHING short!**

 **CHAPTER 2**

 _ **Dia de los Muertos**_

 _an annual celebration to honor the spirits of the dead, observed in Mexico and other Latin American countries on November 1 and 2, concurrently with All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day_

* * *

Lucy groaned as the 'demon lord' swept out of her library and back to the party, "Can't I just banish him?" She whined, "I mean, isn't that how these things are supposed to work?"

Levy shot her friend a sympathetic glance, "If only it were that easy." She shook her head, "I admit I don't really trust him. Not until I can get in touch with my brother and find out what's been going on back home. But the good news is, if he's that determined to grant your desire he's not going to hurt you. Doing so would be counterproductive."

"Small mercies." Lucy drawled and blinked, "Wait... you have a brother?"

Levy grinned a little, "Yeah. His name is Jellal. We're only half siblings, so he's not a pixie like me. He's actually a full-fledged fae. Like the Sidhe you've read about. And if _anyone_ will be able to update me it's him."

Lucy smiled a little, not really sure how else to respond, and nodded, "Okay." She glanced at the clock and grimaced, "The DJ's due to leave here in about an hour..."

Levy patted her friend's hand, "Don't worry. I'll deal with it. Why don't you go get a hot bath and some comfortable clothes? I'll round up Erza and Cana and we'll handle everything." She hesitated, "What do you want us to do with your demon?"

Lucy grimaced, annoyed at the idea of having to make any sort of arrangements for _him_.

"I dunno. Put him in one of the guest rooms I guess." She sighed, "As long as he stays out of my hair for a few hours."

Thankfully she _had_ guest rooms. The house wasn't precisely a mansion, she'd gotten rid of _that_ monstrosity of overindulgence after her father had died and gleefully bought an old fixer upper instead, but with six bedrooms, seven bathrooms, and a two story library it was big enough.

"Are you staying the night?" She asked tiredly, and Levy nodded.

"I don't want to leave until you're out of this mess." She declared, "I'm to blame for giving you the idea in the first place, and I won't abandon you now."

Lucy smiled at that and shook her head, "I'm pretty sure there's blame to go around for this, but thanks." She pushed away from her desk, "I'll see you upstairs later in the fire nook?"

"I'll bring cider and candy." Levy promised, and Lucy nodded as she headed out, eager for a shower or a soak.

It turned out that the party seemed to wind down on its own, but Natsu made himself scarce after his talk in the library. Lucy didn't see hide nor hair of him for the entire night.

And even as she dozed off with Levy sprawled across her bed using a book as a pillow, she almost was able to write the whole thing off as an alcohol induced dream

-::-

The fantasy was broken in the wee hours of the morning by a battle cry and the sounds of smashing in Lucy's kitchen.

Levy and Lucy jerked awake, and they both staggered over themselves as they ran to the door. Levy nearly ran off the banister and had to course correct as they thumped down the stairs.

They stopped at the entrance of the kitchen where Lucy's roommate Erza was holding a toaster over her head like it was a weapon, her eyes narrowed in rage.

"Who are you? A thief? A burglar!" Erza accused the man she was threatening, and Lucy gasped at the sight of Natsu looking utterly shocked at the sight of the red head trying to attack him with a toaster of all things.

"Excuse me, crazy lady what are you doing!" Natsu burst out.

Lucy choked on a completely inappropriate laugh at the sight, unable to contain herself after the events of the previous night, but it quickly turned into a snort and then a guffaw and in moments she was clinging helplessly to the door frame as she watched Erza terrify the mighty demon lord himself.

This, of course, drew attention from the pair, but she couldn't bring herself to care. Somehow, after all the insanity before, this was the funniest thing she'd seen in a long time.

Levy laughed a little at her friend and stepped forward, deciding Lucy laughing like that was more than worth dealing with a hungover Erza.

"It's alright Erza." She soothed the redhead, "He's a guest."

She reached over and deftly plucked the toaster out of Erza's grip and nudged her towards the table, "Now why don't you sit down? I'll make some coffee and get started on some breakfast. How about some crepes with strawberries? I know how much you like those."

She continued to chatter as she chivvied her friend over to the table and into a chair where, hopefully, nothing would go wrong.

Of course, wrong, was an entirely subjective term when dealing with a hungover Erza, but at least she wasn't using the appliances as weapons.

"Oh, a guest?" Erza squinted at him, looking an absolute mess. Her red hair was sticking up in all directions and there were heavy bags under her eyes, "my apologizes. I thought you were an intruder and needed to be punished."

"Is she hung over?" Natsu hissed to Levy, who merely nodded.

"Erza doesn't handle her alcohol well," Levy whispered back to him.

"I'm Natsu crazy lady," he introduced himself, flinching away from the absolutely murderous glare Erza leveled on him.

Instead he turned his gaze towards Lucy instead, taking a moment to observe the woman he was supposed to serve. Or whatever. She wasn't super picky about it, so he wasn't going to be either.

She was certainly pretty though and had she been craving some other kinds of attention Natsu certainly wouldn't have minded. Too bad she seemed like she had no idea what she actually wanted.

Which was actually a shame, because he could stand to have some fun.

He grinned, his eyes taking a cursory sweep over Lucy from the top of her head down to her ankles.

She was definitely attractive, fearless and fun too by the looks of things. This Gray fellow that seemed to have hurt her, the one Natsu was going to turn inside-out, seemed to be a fool to have let her go.

After all, Lucy seemed like a rare woman among her kind.

Lucy was oblivious to his perusal as she slowly brought herself back under control and managed to claw her way back to something resembling upright.

"Feeling better?" Levy grinned from where she was working the coffee maker.

"You have no idea." Lucy gasped, her lips still twitching with a grin, "That was hilarious."

Levy giggled a little as the coffee began to percolate, "It was." She headed for the fridge, "You can help me with breakfast."

"Do we even need to cook after all that catered food?" Lucy asked in amusement as she strolled over to join Levy at the fridge.

"Not really." Levy replied cheerfully, "You've got enough leftovers to feed three starving dragons." She smirked as she looked up, "But something tells me leftovers won't cut it for Erza's hangover."

Lucy grimaced, "Right." She spun towards the pots and pans, "I'll get out the stuff you need then."

Natsu watched the two women move around each other appreciatively. It was clear they'd done this many times before, and had gotten used to working together in the kitchen. It seemed he'd stumbled on a kind of weird human nest, and he couldn't help approving at it. Though he'd be lying if he said most of his attention wasn't drawn by Lucy herself.

He was interrupted from his musings by the woman herself bringing over a couple of fresh mugs of coffee and things to doctor it with.

After an interesting breakfast, a groaning Erza dragged her barely conscious body off to get ready for work while Levy disappeared into the library to do more research on Natsu's summon.

It left Natsu with Lucy alone, and the demon couldn't help but relish in the company of the human who interested him.

"So you're a demon prince, right?" Lucy mumbled over her mug of coffee.

Natsu nodded, taking a sip of his own, "Ah-yup."

"What do demons do exactly? Because you don't really act like the stereotype I'd expect," Lucy hesitated, peering around him as if expecting he had sprouted a tail.

Natsu grinned at Lucy and leaned forward, "Were you expecting me to crawl on the ceiling and my head spin in a circle?"

He let out a quiet laugh and got up to edge his seat closer to Lucy.

"You're an interesting woman, I don't have any immediate desire to do you any harm," Natsu's eyes dragged over her, "you must have a considerable amount of magic to summon me, even if you don't know how to use it yet."

He ran his thumb over the mug of his coffee and dropped it in front of her, "want me to show you something cool?" he purred.

"Will I regret it?" Lucy asked, her voice coming in a bit of a breathless gasp. She hadn't expected him to come so close into her personal space, and now without the filter of alcohol clouding her mind, she certainly could tell how handsome he was.

It was easier to ignore when his eyes glowed an otherworldly green, his hands were talons and scales decorated his face. But now without the horns and claws, he only had a bright smile and mischievous eyes that glittered with opportunity.

And his voice, it spoke to a special place deep within Lucy's gut that left her breathless.

"Probably!" He admitted cheerfully, seemingly not the least bit put off by the notion, and grinned at her lazily, "But you'll never know what it is unless you try it."

Lucy stared at him, torn between shock at his honesty, and a tightening curl of heat in her belly at the look on his face, "I... you..."

His grin widened, reminding her a little of a shark that had scented blood, "Not to worry." He rumbled, the sound sending goosebumps up her arms, "It's not anything that'll hurt you." He chuckled softly, "It wouldn't exactly be in my best interest to have you come to harm before I unravel all your secrets now would it?"

Lucy's mind stuttered to a halt at that. Something about the way he'd said that had her wondering just what secrets he wanted to know so badly. Sure she knew he wanted to know her desire, but that had sounded like a lot more.

She shivered slightly at the thought, and took another sip of her coffee to cover it, missing the spark of interest in his eyes when she did.

"So how 'bout it?" He rumbled again, and waggled his eyebrows invitingly, "Shall I show you?"

Lucy frowned at him, not at all sure she wanted to go along with even a benign plan of his. Especially when he'd already admitted she would probably regret it. But... damnit now she was curious.

She eyed his devilish smile and felt her willpower crumble, "Fine." She grumbled, surrendering to the inevitable, "But if I wind up having to rebuild any of my house or anything, my desire will be for you to make everything pristine again you got that?"

"Hey, that's the price you pay for any deal with a devil," Natsu grinned and took her hand within his. He felt her flinch a little, fingers twitching in his hold.

"Something wrong?" he asked her with a sly smile.

"Nothing, just your hands are really warm," Lucy's cheeks went red, "I'm just used to my hands being a little chillier."

Natsu watched her face for a long moment, saying nothing before nodded, "I'm a fire demon, so you'll notice things tend to _burn_ around me."

The roguish smirk he flashed Lucy made her insides want to curl up into a delightful ball at once.

He barked out a laugh and unfolded her hand over the rim of the cup of coffee, "now this is a special technique. It works best with water in a dark bowl, but since you've got coffee in there it should be okay. Just so long as the surface of the water reflects, you can communicate to others this way."

Slow, he caressed the back of her hand in a circle, his finger trailing in a sleepy path. Lucy smothered a shiver, looking at the expression of intense concentration on Natsu's face.

"Now repeat after me," Natsu murmured, a glowing gold to the backs of his eyes that made her breath catch.

 _"gheobhaidh an t-asal miotail do asal anseo,"_ Natsu growled, _"Ní féidir liom a bheith ag fanacht leat an lá ar fad leis an bhean cailleach seo dÚsachtach."_

Lucy swallowed and repeated the words, liking the way they sounded falling from Natsu's lips. The spell sounded like a sort of chant, dropping like water from his lips and hypnotizing her with a steady sense of calmness.

She smiled a little dreamily at him, the feeling of calm suffusing her, and turned to her cup, _"gheobhaidh an t-asal miotail do asal anseo. Ní féidir liom a bheith ag fanacht leat an lá ar fad leis an bhean cailleach seo dÚsachtach."_

She shivered as the last word fell from her lips, the sensation of something sliding over her skin in a not-quite caress coursing over her, "Wh-what was that?" She managed after a moment, "And what did those words mean? They were beautif-"

"WHO THE FUCK YOU CALLIN' A METALHEAD FIREBRAIN!" An enraged voice bellowed all of a sudden from her coffee mug, causing Lucy to scream in fright and fling the possessed porcelain away.

Except she couldn't. Whatever had happened to her coffee mug kept it firmly in her hands as well, so the best she could do was hold it as far from her as possible.

"YOU GOT ANY IDEA HOW LONG I'VE BEEN WAITING ON YOUR SORRY ASS?!" The enraged caffeine continued, "I HAD AN IMP SHOW UP LAST NIGHT! A FUCKING _IMP_! AN' NOW YOU-"

The voice faltered as Natsu's _howls_ of laughter could be heard over the screaming, and Lucy managed to tear her eyes away from her coffee mug enough to discover the demon had slid to the floor and was literally clutching his sides in mirth.

"Why is this cup screaming at me!" Lucy shrieked at the demon who was too tangled up laughing until tears streamed down his face.

"Oh. I see," the cup said crossly, "you've dragged a mortal into this mess. Of _course_ you did!"

The cup seemed to physically sigh in Lucy's grasp, "Alright miss, where are you? I'm coming to get that demonic ball of hell. I'll get him out of your hands."

This time Lucy grasped the cup with both hands like it was her lifeline.

"Really?" she demanded hopefully, "Oh yes please! Come get him and do hurry! Do you need my address?"

"Nope, it came with the spell. I'll be there in about half an hour. Just make sure he doesn't burn the place down," the voice growled, trying to make itself heard over Natsu's heaving laughter.

"SHUT UP SALAMANDER!" the cup roared, nearly causing Lucy to drop it again.

Before she could question it again, the seal on the magic keeping the mug glued to her palm seemed to slacken. Spell broken, it was just a normal cup again.

A normal cup that promptly went hurtling into Natsu's stupid laughing face.

"OW! Lucy! Why'd you do that!" Natsu cried out, grasping his hands to his nose.

"You made the mug YELL AT ME!" Lucy screamed back, furious at him and looking at something else to throw at the demon.

Natsu just scrambled away, cackling with laughter as he hid behind the counter where the fearsome toaster was.

"Laugh it up you brat! Your metal friend is coming to drag your sorry ass out of my house!" Lucy jabbed her finger at him.

Natsu snorted, "he can _try_ but I'm not goin' anywhere."

"A contract between a demon and summoner is a sacred thing," Natsu feigned crossing his heart, "I'm your familiar, which means I stay by you and protect your life with my own."

"I thought you said you could break it," Lucy drawled at him.

"I can," he grinned, "but I don't want to."

"You have got to be kidding me. _What_ is your fascination with me?" Lucy asked in frustration, "I haven't done anything interesting except apparently botch a summons!"

Natsu flashed her a toothy grin, "You want that alphabetically or categorically?" At her murderous look he shrugged, deciding to slide around the core truth and just be superficially honest, "You're interesting alright? By all rights that ridiculous circle should've struggled to summon a bat, but somehow you managed to not only make it work, but snag me. A demon lord."

"That takes power." He shrugged, "If you'd stated your desire from the start you might've actually hemmed me in enough I couldn't break the contract even if I wanted to."

"And that makes me interesting?" Lucy asked flatly, not impressed that the only reason he was sticking around. Curiosity alone was not a powerful reason to stay glued to her side.

Natsu shrugged and flashed her a devilish grin, "There may be other reasons you're interesting." He allowed.

Lucy let out a sound of frustration and spun around just in time to see Levy appear in the doorway, concerned by all the shouting, "Are all demons like this?" She demanded, "Like... giant cats?"

"Worse."

Levy blinked a little and she glanced at Natsu, one eyebrow raised elegantly, and looked back at Lucy, "I'm afraid so Lu." She replied, a wry smile tugging at the corners of her lips, "And not just demons either. You captured my attention remember?"

Lucy blinked, "But... that was different! Those guys were bullying you, and..."

Levy nodded and waved her hand, "Yes that's true." She admitted, "But you were still intriguing. That's why I was interested in becoming your friend."

She reached out and dropped a hand on Lucy's shoulder, "It's going to be alright Lu." She glanced around, "So what happened in here?"

Lucy sighed, her shoulders slumping a bit, "Natsu talked me into trying a spell. In my coffee mug."

Levy's eyes widened with surprise, "Oh!" She bit her lips as amusement bubbled up, "I see. Ahm... I take it he didn't tell you that was a scrying spell?"

"Must've slipped his mind." Lucy replied dryly, and shook her head, "Anyway, one of his friends is coming over to get him."

"He thinks," Natsu interjected with a smirk, and Lucy shot him a sulky look.

"He better," she huffed as she headed out, "I'm going to freshen up."

Levy watched her friend go, and glanced at Natsu thoughtfully, "You know... if you keep this up I might actually start to believe you."

Natsu raised an eyebrow at her, "Keep what up? All I've done so far is play pranks and piss her off."

Levy nodded solemnly, "Yes. But since you showed up, she hasn't thought about Gray once."

There it was again. That mention of Gray that sent an irrational surge of emotion coursing through Natsu's gut. He didn't like it whenever he was brought up.

The pixie's expression only darkened and she waved a finger at Natsu, "cute pranks and games are appropriate for an imp, but don't think for even a second I don't know who you are and what you've done."

"I won't let you corrupt Lucy."

Natsu's expression cooled, eyes drawing over Levy who stood before him in challenge. He didn't intend to do Lucy any harm, but he also didn't like bossy little fireflies ordering him about.

"I'd like to see you try little fairy."

* * *

 **WOW! You guys absolutely nailed your reviews! You won your sneak peek from us! I hope you guys enjoy it, so please stay tuned until Wednesday! This fic will update on the same days as Wild Aces! So every Wednesday and Sunday we will get the chapters up!**

* * *

 _"Did she ever tell you what she was looking for in a man?" He asked, taking a shot in the dark._  
 _Maybe it would help if he knew what Lucy would admit to wanting._

 _"Not you," Levy snorted at Natsu, smirking at the somewhat sour look on the demon's face._

 _"What-" Natsu blurted, somewhat irritated by the dig, but Levy hopped up and extended a finger out to tap Natsu on his nose._

 _"C'mon, you're a demon. She's a human. Your kind only play with hers, and as nonthreatening as you've been acting so far I'm still not sure I buy this 'nice' act," Levy eyed him, clearly without trust, "Demons always have their own agenda for everything, loopholes and ways of sidestepping the truth."_

 _"I'm a demon, we always tell the truth, sometimes you fairies just don't like what we have to say," Natsu growled back, his fangs baring together in the hints of warning. The fairy knew just where to push his button at, poking at it with her small fingers enough to make his temper flare._


	3. All Souls

**Hey guys! Kytrin here! Mslead and I are continuing our tag team for chapters, and decided to switch up who did what story this time. Enjoy!**

* * *

 **CHAPTER 3**

 **All Souls**

 _When Halloween approaches each year, Austrians will typically leave bread and water next to a lamp that stays on during the night. This is done to welcome the dead souls so that they could come back to earth. This holiday, known as All Souls', is celebrated between October 30 and November 8._

* * *

 _She hasn't thought about Gray once._

Natsu frowned as he stared at a picture of Lucy on the bookcase. There was a man with her in the picture, with black hair and dark eyes. Natsu frowned at the photo, not liking how unsettled it made him.

They both looked happy in the picture, but there was some space between them. A distance in their eyes.

Or maybe it was just Natsu's imagination?

Regardless, he didn't like the look of this Gray fellow. He really got on Natsu's nerves.

Natsu guessed this Gray person was a good looking man. But he couldn't help but hesitate at the coolness on his face even in the picture.

There was something not right about him, something Natsu couldn't put his finger on.

He didn't like this Gray guy.

Pettily, Natsu took the photo and dropped it face down on the shelf.

Was this man the reason he had been summoned to Lucy's side? Natsu suspected it was, at least he was somehow related to his appearance. The timing was too coincidental.

Because regardless of the power behind the summoning, it was the intent of control that gave any spell its magic.

If Lucy had no wishes or desires, then Natsu would have never even known she existed before his summoning. But no, she was driving off the course of what he expected.

As funny as that was, it gave Natsu only a couple of options of how to deal with her.

Help her, which was the path he wanted to take, or find a way to dispose of her. Or prevent her from ever casting magic again. Something that would be unpleasant for everyone involved.

Her dabbling in magic would make her a dangerous target now, and if he left her even as she was, she could be hurt in ways worse than death.

Really, it was reckless for that pixie to even be near her as she was, but the fairies had always been a bit more on the reckless side. Not that he had any room to talk.

Sealing the deal with her at least would give her permanent protection from all manner of beasts. Even if he wasn't by her side, they would still remember _he_ had been summoned to her side.

Now if only the damned stubborn woman would just _tell him what she wanted_.

Because he could only guess it wasn't smearing Gray's insides all over his garage walls.

Natsu huffed a little as he turned towards the tasty looking fire Levy had lit crackling away in the fireplace, and reached out to scoop up a bite. Maybe he was taking the wrong approach to this?

Maybe Lucy's insistence that she didn't have a desire wasn't stubbornness? Maybe she didn't actually know? He'd heard of that happening a time or two. Mortals with vague desires or the inability to articulate them. Could that be the problem Lucy was having?

It wasn't out of the realm of possibility. Nor was it unreasonable all things considered.

He glanced back at the face down photo as he sucked down the rest of his snack. Maybe it was time he did a little investigating on his own. Namely, finding out what the hell had actually happened between Lucy and her ex. It might at least give him a clue to work off.

With that thought in mind he turned and headed out to find Levy. Lucy was still occupied, and Gajeel wouldn't arrive for a few more minutes, so there should be time to talk privately. If he could find her.

Fortunately, the pixie was a predictable one. It only took him a minute to spot her out in the garden reading, and less than that to join her.

"Hey." He greeted as he sat down with her, "You have a second?"

Levy eyed him suspiciously, but nodded, and he took a deep breath.

"Look, I know you don't trust me." He said, "And I get why. You've been out of touch for a long time, so you haven't heard the latest." He met her eyes, "But your friend's going to get herself in trouble if this deal isn't sealed."

Levy frowned but nodded grudgingly, "Yes. That's true. But what do you want from me? I don't know her desire either."

Natsu shook his head, "I wanna know about Gray." He replied firmly, "And what happened between him and Lucy. Whatever motivated her, that guy's involved, and I can't work it out if I don't know the story."

"There's nothing really to know," Levy frowned at Natsu. She debated whether or not she should tell him to mind his own business, especially since he shouldn't concern himself with Lucy's affairs, but he was right.

He either needed to complete her contract, or leave. And while it was okay when it was just _her_ hanging around Lucy, Fae only typically attracted other Fae…

Natsu was a demon.

And they were considerably less sweet than the faefolk could be.

She sighed as Natsu crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes.

"Okay fine! Look, they were friends for a long time and started to date. I don't know why, but I guess they liked one another." Levy shook her head, "They've been kind of drifting apart for a while now, but they sort of just mutually broke it off."

"That's it?" Natsu asked, frowning deeply at Levy, "It wasn't messy?"

"No, they're still friends, Lucy just needs some time to adjust away from Gray. It's just awkward right now," Levy sighed.

"Awkward. Huh?" Natsu blinked and looked around the big house.

"And how often was this Gray guy over? Or Lucy at his place?" he asked.

Levy shrugged, "how should I know, I'm not their keepers," she gave him an irritated look. "I just know this house can get kind of lonely sometimes so Lucy doesn't like to be in it while it's empty."

Natsu hummed thoughtfully, not particularly put off by Levy's irritation. The pixie might not have kept track of who was where, but he had a strong suspicion that it had been months, at the very least, since Lucy and Gray had slept in the same bed together. She didn't move like a woman whose needs were being tended to regularly, and she'd reacted uncommonly powerfully to touches that hadn't even been intended to be seductive.

Could that be it? Was it possible she'd summoned him for some relief?

Relief she wasn't even acknowledging she needed?

The possibility was interesting, but it didn't quite ring true. If all she'd wanted was some proper fun than an ordinary incubus could've handled it without any problem. There would've been no reason for him to get involved.

No... he was willing to bet that might be part of it, but it wasn't the whole story. Not yet. There was something else there. Something that went deeper than physical needs and desires.

He would have to keep digging.

"Did she ever tell you what she was looking for in a man?" He asked, taking a shot in the dark.

Maybe it would help if he knew what Lucy _would_ admit to wanting.

"Not _you_ ," Levy snorted at Natsu, smirking at the somewhat sour look on the demon's face.

"What-" Natsu blurted, somewhat irritated by the dig, but Levy hopped up and extended a finger out to tap Natsu on his nose.

"C'mon, you're a demon. She's a human. Your kind only play with hers, and as unthreatening as you've been acting so far I'm still not sure I buy this 'nice' act," Levy eyed him, clearly without trust, "Demons always have their own agenda for everything, loopholes and ways of sidestepping the truth."

"I'm a demon, we always tell the truth, sometimes you fairies just don't like what we have to say," Natsu growled back, his fangs baring together in the hints of warning. The fairy knew just where to push his button at, poking at it with her small fingers enough to make his temper flare.

At that point most people would have backed off, but to her credit, the pixie just lifted her pointed chin and glared at him.

"You've got a funny way of excusing what your kind does," Levy spat back at him, "And what your brother did to _mine_ , it's not something I've forgotten."

Natsu's eyes glittered like chips of flint, advancing a single step towards Levy. He opened a mouth to say something but the words seemed to fall flat on his tongue. He grit his teeth together and slowly backed up a step.

It was clear he was wrestling with his more combative nature, but he didn't know what else to say in the face of something that was obviously true.

"Your brother, who was he?" Natsu asked, instead flatly.

"Jellal," Levy replied back, nose crinkling in distaste for Natsu.

Ah, now he understood.

Jellal was a leader among the fairies. He controlled the season of Spring if he recalled correctly. He had recovered since his Zeref's influence, but there was a great deal of time where the early growth seasons in spring refused to yield because of the darkness infecting Jellal.

At the time Natsu had suspected Jellal sent away his court and sister away to avoid being caught in the crosshairs, but the princess had never returned. And now he knew why.

She was here in the human world still, staying out of the way of the war where she could be used.

Natsu also knew how badly his older brother had gotten into Jellal's head, but again there was nothing he could do to apologize for his brother's actions.

"Zeref is a monster and for what he did to your brother there aren't any words. That doesn't have anything to do with me," Natsu replied.

"As far as I'm concerned, you had just as much a role to play in what happened to Jellal," Levy didn't budge, and Natsu knew fully that perhaps they were just too different to see eye to eye on matters.

His lips curled into an impish grin, but there was no warmth in his eyes as he leaned forward.

"Maybe I did," He purred to Levy, "But that just makes you a coward. What kind of sister hides while her brother suffers at the hands of demons?"

Natsu straightened up, ignoring the stunned look on Levy's face and flashed her a very dark smile, "For all your cleverness, you hide in the human world throwing parties and having sleep overs while your brother fights and suffers on his sword. Pathetic."

He turned away from her before she could so much as squeak out a response, and headed back to the house. Gajeel was due to arrive in a couple minutes and the last thing he needed was to be visibly upset when he did.

He wasn't his brother, and never had been. Hell, he'd begun resisting Zeref and everything he stood for the first chance he'd had! Hadn't he cultivated contacts among the dragon lords? Hadn't he trained with Igneel, and learned to consume fire and how to gentle his touch with humans? Wasn't he working to overthrow the self-styled Spriggan now?

He grunted as he abruptly crashed into something and blinked at the soft, female, 'oof' that sounded. Without thinking the reached out and grabbed Lucy before she could stumble and fall.

"Sorry about that!" Lucy exclaimed, "I didn't see you..." She trailed off as she got a good look at his face and frowned a little, "Are you alright?"

Natsu blinked a little and finally flashed her his trademark grin, "Don't worry about it!" He waggled his eyebrows a little at her, "Ya know, there's easier ways of getting yourself into my arms Miss Witch."

It didn't quite have the intended effect as she flashed him a flatly unimpressed look and stepped back. He couldn't quite bring himself to follow up though. Levy's words had stung more than they should've, and he wasn't quite back in that mental place to tease Lucy properly.

A fact that hadn't escaped Lucy either it seemed as she cocked her head at him, "You know, compared to your other efforts so far... that was downright painful to watch. You sure you're alright?"

Natsu shrugged a little, but dropped the act, "Your pixie friend is good at pissing people off." He muttered instead, causing Lucy's eyebrows to head towards her hairline.

"Levy?" She asked in confusion, "But what..."

She was cut off as heavy booted feet clomped up to the front door loudly enough for even Lucy to hear, and an equally heavy knocking soon followed. Lucy glanced between the door and Natsu for a moment, enough actual concern on her face to warm his heart a little, and hurried over to the door to answer it.

"Hi!" She started as she cracked it open with a smile, "Are you Gajeel?"

She trailed off as she looked up, and up at the burly mountain of a man gracing her door with a wickedly amused grin.

"That's me miss." He chuckled as she stepped aside to let him in, "Black Steel Gajeel. The iron dragon." He held out a hand, "You gotta be the poor mortal Salamander roped into this mess."

"Er, yeah." Lucy replied as she shook his hand, her eyes still fastened on the metal studs that would make a hard rocker green with envy, "I'm Lucy. Lucy Heartfilia. It's nice to meet you."

"Same. Sorry about the yellin' on the phone. Salamander can be pretty rude sometimes." Gajeel's eyes fastened on the stone-faced Natsu, his brow furrowing at the sight of the demon in a temper, "What's with you runt?"

"Don't worry about it," Natsu drawled and crossed his arms to lean against a doorframe. He swiftly changed the subject before Gajeel could linger on him, because the iron dragon was way too observant for his own good, "Sorry you came all this way Gajeel, but I can't leave just yet. She summoned me. No contract yet."

Gajeel jerked, completely distracted by the comment and stared at Lucy like she had grown two additional heads, "'scuse me. You did what now?"

"I know!" Natsu exclaimed, throwing his arms up, "And man, it was the most half-assed summon, you couldn't even believe it. I could break it just by snapping my fingers, but-"

Gajeel groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"What? What's going on?" Lucy growled and jerked her thumb at Natsu, "This guy said he wasn't going to leave because I was _interesting_!"

"You are!" Natsu gave her a sly grin.

Gajeel shook his head and closed the door behind him, locking it and throwing off his boots by the entrance. Even without his heavy boots on, the man positively towered over Lucy, cutting an intimidating figure by every description.

He stopped and lifted his head after a second, sniffing through the air, "Wait a sec, do I smell a fairy?"

"Unfortunately," Natsu grumbled, moving over to one of Lucy's fancy chairs and plopping his butt down in it.

"You little punk!" Gajeel growled, whipping his head over at the demon, "I'm an _iron_ dragon! I can't be in the same house with a _fairy_! She could get burned if she gets near me!"

Natsu lip curled, but the rise of pettiness in him was forcibly squashed at Lucy's horrified look.

"Relax, I put up wards this morning after you yelled at Lucy," Natsu gave Gajeel a lazy grin, "Levy will be fine. Hell, she could touch all that stuff on your face and not be affected."

He tilted his head at Gajeel, "Why did you fall face first into a tacklebox anyway?"

Gajeel bared long fangs in a threatening growl, but Natsu seemed unfazed, staring instead outside towards the garden. Gajeel's eyes narrowed at Natsu's disinterest but straightened and walked across to a love seat. He plopped down on it, looking too big for the seat meant for two.

"Alright Blondie, here's the thing. Demon's aren't too forthcoming about their contracts, but this is how it works," Gajeel growled at the confused looking Lucy, who hesitated and ventured into the room with the two magical beings. Natsu didn't even seem to be paying much attention.

"When you are near a magical creature, like Levy or myself or Natsu, you will start to attract other people of similar backgrounds to you," Gajeel grunted, "Like Levy can attract other fae to you, where I could attract other dragons to you."

"Dragons?" Lucy gasped.

"Relax, there aren't many of us left," Gajeel's lips twisted bitterly, "So the chances of you meeting up with one of my kind is extremely rare."

"Demons though?" Lucy asked quietly.

"Demons are in large supply, and sometimes they aren't the nicest people to be around," Gajeel's eyes flashed over to where Natsu was sitting. The demon in question's hand curled into a fist, the only sign he was listening despite how he kept his gaze locked outside the window.

"Right now you have an open contract with Natsu, and it can attract other demons to you," Gajeel's eyes narrowed on Natsu, "but once Natsu completes your seal, it will cut off that line. No other demons will pay you any mind. But until then, if Natsu leaves without completing your task, then that line will remain open. Forever."

Color drained from Lucy's face as she sank numbly into a chair, "So until I make a deal with him..."

Gajeel nodded grimly, "I dunno what happened, but when you summoned Salamander here you did the equivalent of lighting this place up like a beacon."

"But I didn't mean to summon him!" Lucy burst out, an edge of hysteria tinging her voice, "It was just supposed to be a stupid halloween thing! I don't even have a desire for him to fulfill!" She waved her hands a little, unaware of the increasing volume of her voice "And now you're telling me that I'm as good as dead if I don't make a deal? How do I even make a deal when I don't know what I want?"

Natsu winced at the very real distress coming from her, and a twist of guilt over not having explained the facts better threaded through him. He looked up at her and his heart clenched a little at the fear on her face. No amount of fun was worth tormenting her like this.

Without thinking he put thoughts to action and in moments had crossed the room and laid his hands on her shoulders.

"Hey." He rumbled softly, "It's going to be okay Lucy."

He smiled gently into her terrified eyes, "It will." He insisted, and brushed a strand of hair out of her face, "I know you didn't mean for any of this to happen, but I promise that I'm not going to abandon you to this. We'll figure out your desire, whatever it is, and everything will be fine."

"But... I..."

Natsu sighed as he read the conflicting emotions crossing her face. Hope and fear. Worry and distrust. Hope he meant what he said, fear he didn't, worry of what this would mean, and distrust of him. Which, really, wasn't surprising in the slightest.

"Would you trust a dragon more than a demon?" He asked, and fresh confusion crossed her face, but he didn't pull back from it. Instead he met her gaze seriously.

"I... don't know?" She admitted, "I don't know anything about real dragons."

Well... that was fair. Natsu conceded the point with a nod.

"Dragons, real dragons, are greedy bastards." He told her bluntly, ignoring Gajeel's mildly offended hiss behind him, "They hoard treasure, and are fascinated with things that interest them." His lips twitched a little at the recognition that sparked, "But dragons are, above all else, honorable. When they make a promise, they uphold it in both the spirit and the letter it was intended."

He pulled back a little, "I trained with the Fire Dragon King Igneel. He taught me dragon magic, and was like a father to me. It was through him that I learned, among other things, the meaning of honor. I have a dragon form. I eat fire like they do. I'm as much a dragon as I am a demon."

He held his hand out to her, "And I swear, as a dragon, that I will do everything I can to keep you safe and help you out of this mess. Will you trust that?"

Natsu watched as Lucy's eyes flickered over to Gajeel, as if confirming what he said about dragons was true. At the dragon's nod, Lucy looked back at Natsu and hesitantly took his hand.

"Okay," Lucy said quietly, and Natsu smiled at her.

"Great," He announced, trying to push past the terrible feeling that was boiling around in his chest. Sure he played pranks on Lucy, but he hadn't really done anything to actually torment her. He hadn't told her the risk she was in, hoping instead to fix the issue before freaking her out and have a little fun with it too.

He gave Lucy a light hug and gave Gajeel a flat look for frightening her so badly before he stood up.

Parting away from Lucy he sighed and nodded, more to himself than anyone else, "As long as I'm around, you shouldn't have anyone coming knocking after you, right?"

"You two talk about whatever brainy things you want," Natsu waved a lazy hand at Gajeel, who was frowning at his back, "Gonna go see what's to eat."

He headed to the door and jerked it open, stopping at the sight of an awkwardly standing Levy, hovering by the threshold.

She squeaked a bit at the sight of Natsu, but he said nothing and just brushed past her.

Gajeel raised an eyebrow at the pixie who hovered by the door, standing awkwardly next to the two ladies he didn't really know. He cleared his throat and cocked his head, "Okay well then. That happened."

Natsu was acting strangely, and Gajeel wasn't quite sure why. The demon was usually more full of energy than what he was showing, but it seemed like something had gotten under his skin and was staying there. His red eyes cast over the two women who were speaking quietly to themselves.

And then it occurred to him, just what could be bothering Natsu, and Gajeel mentally swore. After all, his friend was a demon first and dragon second.

"He's wrong you know," Gajeel said quietly, loud enough to catch the women's attention, "A dragon may hold true to their promises, but a demon can't lie. He knew honor long before he became a dragon, otherwise King Igneel wouldn't have taught him."

"The demon in him is the reason he'll stay to protect you, not the dragon," Gajeel replied, his gaze slanting over towards Lucy, "Dragon's only tend to protect what holds value to them."

* * *

 _ **You guys totally rocked the reviews again this chapter! Many thanks, much love, and congratulations on your preview! Enjoy it, and we'll see you all Sunday!**_

 _She glanced at Gray, "And what's with you? Don't tell me you're some kind of witch person too!"_

 _"Lucy..." Gray growled warning, and Lucy let out a frustrated growl of her own._

 _"Don't you 'Lucy' me mister!" She snapped, stepping firmly between him and Natsu, "I've had more weirdness in the last fifteen hours than I even want to think about! Now I don't know what your beef with Natsu is, but I'm not about to let you two start a fight in **my** house over it!"_

 _She glanced between them with a glare, "Is that clear?"_

 _A muffled giggle sounded from behind Gajeel._


	4. All Saints' Day

**YO! It's Mslead here with your next update of Samhain! Not much to say so enjoy your chapter!**

* * *

 **CHAPTER 4**

 _ **All Saints' Day** _

_On this day, those of the Roman Catholic and Protestant faiths honor saints and light candles for those who have passed._

* * *

Lucy stared at Gajeel for a long moment as she processed this new information before turning abruptly and walking out the door. She headed over to the kitchen where Natsu was moodily desecrating a leftover jack-o-lantern shaped pie. His eyes snapped up to watch her as she walked in and headed for the freezer to pull out some leftover cinnamon ice cream, and then headed over to the table.

"Is this seat taken?" She asked gesturing to the chair next to him. He raised an eyebrow at that but shrugged, and she sat down.

She methodically opened her ice cream, ignoring his curious gaze for the moment and took a bite with a happy little moan, "Have you ever had cinnamon ice cream?" She asked, "Next to strawberry it's my favorite flavor."

Natsu cocked his head at her, an amused look crossing his face, "No. Can't say that I have. Is it that good?"

Lucy handed him a spoon with a grin and nudged the container closer to the middle, "Try it. I bet you'll like it."

"There's not a lot of food I don't like." Natsu smirked as he took a carefully moderate sized spoonful and bit into it. He growled appreciatively at the contrast of the warm cinnamon and the creamy cold as it slid down his throat, "Oh that's good."

Lucy smiled at him, and took another bite, "I want to thank you." She murmured after a few moments of silence, "For what you did in there. And what you've been doing since last night."

She looked down at her hands, "I don't really understand a lot about your world. All I know about it is what I've read in stories." She flashed him a wry look, "And we all know how accurate those are. It scares me to think about what could've happened if anyone other than you had responded to my summon, and I'm really grateful you're going out of your way for me."

She flashed him a look that was a cross between amused and sulky, "Even you are a horrible tease and play pranks!"

Natsu grinned toothily back at her, "Demon." He chuckled, and his grin turned sly, "And that thing with the coffee mug was funny. You gotta admit."

Lucy snorted, "I don't have to admit a thing!" But the grin pulling at her lips gave lie to her words, "But really, thank you. I think... I think, knowing what I know now, even if I hadn't gotten myself into this mess I'd still be willing to make a contract with you." She blushed a bit, "Assuming we can figure out what my wish is."

Natsu blinked and dipped his spoon back into the container. It cut easily into the ice cream, carving out a spoonful from the warmth of his hand on the spoon.

"Comes with the territory, you're not the first one to not know _immediately_ what your desire is but we'll figure it out," Natsu grinned crookedly, "although you might be the first person to summon a demon without knowing it"

"Can you imagine a crossroads demon not having any wish to grant? And I'm not the kind of demon that'll suck your soul out in ten years either," He drawled and licked the spoon clean. He slanted his gaze over towards her, a crooked smirk flashing over his face, "I'm a high level demon, so you're safe from all other demons. They won't wander into my territory."

"I don't blame you for being freaked out though, you're only human after all," Natsu glanced over at the pie he had torn up into several pieces, "And I can be a mean bastard sometimes too. You're right to be afraid of me. You've got the instincts of a witch at least," He smirked, "But demons have been witches' familiars for a long time, so you're actually doing better than most mortals."

"Thanks I guess, although I don't consider myself very witch-like," Lucy admitted, "Although I guess I have some skill for it."

"You landed me didn't ya? I'm a pretty big fish if I do say so myself," Natsu grinned crookedly.

"True," Lucy laughed, dipping into the ice cream before Natsu could melt it all.

"You give any thought to what your desire could be?" Natsu asked, his spoon making a swirl in the odd flavor of icecream in front of him. He quite liked it, even if he wasn't partial to cold things. The flavor was nice and warm, and it was so unlike anything he had in Zeref's dominion of fire, darkness and dust.

He liked the human world and all its indulgences far more.

Lucy stole another bite and leaned back in her chair a little, "I don't know." She replied, "I mean, my life isn't bad. It's not perfect, but it isn't bad really."

Natsu hummed thoughtfully, "Well... tell me about your life then." He shrugged a little at her startled expression, "You'd be surprised what can be picked out about someone just knowing their history."

Lucy pursed her lips a little and nodded, "Alright. Well... I'm a writer. Mostly I've written short stories and articles for magazines independently, but I'm working on a novel." A proud little smile touched her lips and Natsu grinned at the sight of it.

"Yeah? That's pretty cool. What d'you write?"

Lucy shrugged a bit, "Mostly fantasy and mystery type stuff. It varies a little. You see my mom..."

Natsu listened attentively as Lucy explained how she and her mom had bonded over books when she was little, before the woman had died of illness, and how that love had stuck with her. A little gentle prodding got him the story behind her family, the estrangement from her father after her mother's death, and the tragedy that saw her an orphan and inheriting everything.

He ignored the murmuring of conversation in the other room between Gajeel and the fairy as Lucy revealed how she'd met Gray at a coffee shop in college and they'd become friends and then lovers before everything had started going south.

"I don't know what caused it." Lucy admitted, a flicker of hurt entering her eyes, "I mean, I didn't think anything was different, but somehow we lost that spark. We started spending less and less time doing romantic things and more time just hanging out like friends. It was frustrating. And the more I tried the worse it got."

"That sometimes happens," Natsu grinned at her and folded his fingers behind his head, "For other people, never me. I don't know what it's like not to have a _spark_ , but for humans I can imagine it can be a little tiresome."

"What was wrong with being friends?" He asked, continuing her thread of thought with curiosity, "That sounds like it would be great. Being with your friend?"

"There just wasn't that mutual affection anymore. It started to feel more and more, familial," Lucy sighed and jabbed her spoon into the remainder of the ice cream, "You wouldn't roll around with your brother, would you?"

At Natsu's sign of gagging, Lucy nodded and lifted a victorious eyebrow, "exactly."

"Alright, alright. You have a point, but human romance confuses me," Natsu sighed and shook his head, not understanding why _he_ was chosen to fix this problem. He was about as good at relationships as...

Well there was no analogy really, he was just shit at them.

"It sucks though, but at least you've got a lot of friends to help you through it. The pixie and the other friend of yours that was at the party last night," Natsu smiled at her, "Even the scary redhead."

"Yeah, my friends are my family," Lucy gave Natsu a sad smile, "it's been that way ever since I met them. I just wish things weren't so weird with Gray right now."

Natsu pushed the ice cream towards Lucy with the back of his knuckles, a crooked grin flashing over his face, "Well I'm your familiar. I could go punch some sense back into him for ya if you want?"

Lucy laughed and scooped out some more of the creamy treat, "I don't think that will be necessary, but thank you. He's a good man."

Natsu wasn't so sure he agreed with that. Everything he'd heard about Gray just irritated him. Lucy was a wonderful, if slightly naïve, woman, and if _he_ could figure that out within the first thirty seconds of meeting her then it should've been blindingly obvious to everyone else.

What kind of a moron passed that up?

He opened his mouth to ask, but before he could the front door opened and Lucy looked up with a frown.

"Now who would-?" She groaned a little as she caught sight of a dark mop of hair coming from the side door.

"Lucy?" Gray called out, looking around curiously and brought himself up short as he glanced in the family room and found Levy talking with Gajeel, "Uhhhhh... hi?"

Levy scowled a little as she bounced to her feet and stalked over to him, "What are you doing here?" She hissed, "Didn't you cause enough of a scene last night?"

Gray ducked his head a little sheepishly, "That's actually why I came over." He mumbled, "I wanted to apologize."

"Really?" Levy demanded, "For what part? Gatecrashing when we _told_ you Lucy needed some space, or making her cry?"

"It's alright Levy." Lucy sighed from the door and gave Gray a tired smile, "Hey."

Gray gave Lucy a nervous look, clearly not expecting to have so much of an audience, "Lucy, hey-"

His cool gaze drifted behind Lucy where Natsu was standing near her shoulder, his eyes going wide at the sight of him so close to her. The air grew heavy with silence as Lucy and Natsu walked out of the kitchen and the latter's attention focused on Gray.

At once a something dark and animalistic ripped through the air, and Lucy jolted at the flare of heat that bubbled up behind her. She whipped her head around and stared at the demon that had previously been silent, "Natsu?"

His growls ripped through the air, vibrating with warning as his dark eyes tracked over Gray's movements. The newcomer however was stiff in his stance, jaw locking and extending a hand towards Lucy.

"Lucy," Gray said softly, so quiet she almost didn't hear it over Natsu's growls, "Get over here. _Now_."

Levy jolted in alarm as the human lifted his hands together, the air chilling down around him.

"Gray? What-?"

"Shit," Gajeel dropped a hand on Levy's shoulder and shoved her smaller form behind his.

The tableaux was broken by Lucy planting her elbow heavily into Natsu's side.

"Oof!" Natsu wheezed, choking off mid-growl, "What was that for!"

"For you acting like an attack dog." Lucy retorted, her hands shifting to her hips, "Now will you tell me just what the heck is going on here?" She glanced at Gray, "And what's with you? Don't tell me you're some kind of witch person too!"

"Lucy..." Gray growled warning, and Lucy let out a frustrated growl of her own.

"Don't you 'Lucy' me mister!" She snapped, stepping firmly between him and Natsu, "I've had more weirdness in the last fifteen hours than I even want to think about! Now I don't know what your beef with Natsu is, but I'm not about to let you two start a fight in _my_ house over it!"

She glanced between them with a glare, "Is that clear?"

A muffled giggle sounded from behind Gajeel.

"Lucy, do you even _know_ what he is?" Gray demanded hotly.

"Course she does!" Natsu snapped before Lucy could, "She summoned me!"

"She did what?" Gray yelped at the same time Lucy whacked Natsu on the head.

"Not helping!" She huffed and turned her gaze on Gray, "Yes, I summoned him. Yes, I know what he is. No, I didn't do it on purpose. Happy?"

"Not really." Gray muttered mutinously, still casting a dark look at Natsu, who had started growling again despite the reprimand, "His kind are dangerous Lucy."

"You're not exactly coming off as peaceful yourself here y'know." She replied tartly, "And you don't know Natsu either. He doesn't _have_ to be here helping me. The summon was a screwup. It shouldn't have happened. And he could break it if he wants, but he's already vowed to protect me until we can make a deal."

"Yeah but there's another way to get rid of him and purify the signal he's throwing off," Gray snapped back, and right before Lucy's eyes a sword emerged through the air itself to grasp itself in his hand, "If there's no demon, there's no signal. Contract is null-and-void."

"Come on then and try to take my life, _Slayer_ ," Natsu purred, stepping in front of Lucy. He cracked his knuckles, fire bursting from his fists, "I'll be sure to make quick work of yours first."

"Natsu!" Lucy stepped in front of Natsu again, holding her hands up. She froze at the expression on his face, forgetting for a moment what she was about to say. Natsu looked stone-cold furious, and if the hatred in his eyes was any indication, he didn't care one lick what Lucy was going to say to get him to stop.

She pressed a hand against Natsu's chest, not knowing if it would work, but looked up at the demon, "He's my friend Natsu. He's my _family_."

Natsu glared at Lucy, baring his fangs angrily at her but lowered his fists back to his sides even if he didn't put out his flames immediately.

Gray however, took a step forward, only for his path to be blocked by the lumbering shape of Gajeel.

"That's enough pal, the girl said no," he growled wrapping a metal-taloned hand around the ice sword.

"Why does a dragon have an interest in keeping a demon alive," Gray demanded of Gajeel, causing the iron dragon to sneer in distaste, "The demons were responsible for your civil war, weren't they?"

"We're a dying breed, but yeah we're hard to kill off," Gajeel's hand tightened around the sword, causing a crack to spiderweb from the pressure in his grasp. He had to exert a tremendous amount of force just to do that, demonic ice was _that_ powerful, "Just like you slayers."

Lucy, moved around Gajeel and touched his arm, wincing a bit at how cold it was, "Gray please." She implored, "I don't pretend to know what's going on, but my life has been completely turned upside down and it hasn't even been a day. Please don't add more to it."

Gray winced a little at the more and reluctantly sighed as he released his ice magic, "I'm sorry Lucy. You were never supposed to find out. Especially not like this."

He ran a hand through his hair, "I come from an ancient line of demon slayers. We're humans born with the ability to manipulate magic. Over time we learned how to forge our magic into a weapon capable of fighting off demons that would attack innocent folks." He met her eyes apologetically, "It's a sacred trust. I took vows when I completed my training that I would only reveal myself to those who already knew about this world."

"That's why I never told you. And I hoped you would never find out."

"Even though I have magic of my own?" Lucy asked quietly.

"Yours is different, even if it pulled me to you in the first place," Gray replied, "It's quiet and subtle. And untrained. And as I got to know you it was obvious you had no idea. Why I'm not sure. So... I thought it was better to not tell you. To give you the chance at a normal life."

"Lucy's the beginning of a new magical line." Levy spoke up quietly, "Her magic is completely malleable. Capable of being anything. What form it takes will be up to her."

"Interesting," Natsu blinked and sniffed at Lucy, dodging her swatting hands with a grin. He gave Gray a flat glare at the way the slayer was giving him the stink eye by his proximity to Lucy.

"Little Miss Witch has some new tricks of her own, can't wait what kind of rabbit you'll pull out of your hat," Natsu grinned at her, tapping his hand against the top of Lucy's head.

"So as it stands here, Natsu and Gray need to play nice with one another while we figure this out," Lucy sighed and shook her head, "Poor Erza, she's going to be so confused when she gets home."

She blinked at Gray and frowned at him, "Wait so are you a human or what?"

"Yeah, I'm human. Nothing weird about me except my magic is especially well suited to slaying demons like the one that's hanging around _you_." Gray grunted.

"And you ain't killin' Salamander, the dragons have a stake in his life, so you better back off human," Gajeel hissed at Gray.

"Relax you scaled freak, Lucy wants him alive for some reason so he's safe," Gray glared at Natsu, "For now. But for how long, I can't promise. As soon as he gets dangerous or brings more of his kind over, it's light out for your lizard."

"Try it popsicle, I'd love to teach you what happens when an ice cube faces off against the sun," Natsu purred back.

His eyes cast along Gray, his nose crinkling up in distaste, "By the way do you normally go without clothes on, or is this a human thing?"

"What-?" Gray looked down at himself and squawked, completely taking the teeth out of his match with Natsu and running behind the curtain.

"Sorry Gray," Levy said weakly, but was unable to contain her snort of laughter, "That one was me. A left over jinx when I was drunk last night!"

Natsu burst into laughter at that, "You mean you really _did_ jinx him?!" He cackled, "Oh man that's great!"

It was certainly satisfying. The human looked utterly mortified, and Natsu couldn't help gleefully wonder just how long the pixie's jinx would last. If he couldn't turn the bastard inside out he would settle for all the petty revenge he could get. The slayer who had hurt Lucy deserved nothing less.

Lucy sighed tiredly and shook her head, "Well, at least we're not all trying to murder each other any more." She muttered philosophically, and cast the remaining three a steely look, "Now, I personally have just about had my fill of surprises for one twenty-four hour period. You three are going to join me in the kitchen, Gray can join us when he's decent again, and we're going to sit down and have a long talk about _everything_ that's going on."

She eyed them all in turn, "No more sudden revelations that my friends are magical. No more getting blindsided by rules and clauses about things I don't know about. And _definitely_ no more surprises about my own power. Got it?"

She still wasn't sure how she felt about the last one. She was the first of a new line? What did that even mean? It was all so confusing, and she was getting very tired of being confused and caught on the back foot.

"Lu..." Levy spoke up a little timidly, "You know we could talk for months and not cover everything? Just the faerie courts alone would take you years to learn."

Lucy shook her head, "I don't want everything. Just enough to work with." She turned to Natsu and poked him in the chest, "Especially from you. You seem to have the most surprises of anyone here."

Natsu blinked a little, then flashed her a wry smirk, "You have no idea what surprises I have up my sleeve." He purred seductively, "And I'm pretty sure you don't want an audience for some of them."

Lucy stared blankly at him for a moment before she turned bright red and smacked him over the head, "PERVERT!"

She huffed as she brushed past him and stomped into the kitchen, pointedly ignoring his laughter.

Natsu's eyes flashed lingeringly over towards where a sour faced Gray was hiding behind. With Lucy's back turned and the others filing into the kitchen after her, his gaze narrowed into a glare. The couch cushion began to smoulder, smoking up in front of Gray's face as the upholstery threads popped and sizzled.

Gray glared back, quiet in the silent threat that passed between slayer and demon, before Natsu smirked and turned back inside.

No matter Lucy's words, things were not settled between the two men. And whether she liked it or not, the new witch was right smack in the middle of it.

Natsu shrugged a shoulder, pausing at the kitchen door long enough for Gray to see his bold smirk before snapping it shut behind him.

* * *

 **I really liked hearing everyone's comments on the last chapter! Most of you guys were like 'daaaaaaaamn Gajeel!' which was funny. You guys are hilarious! Man some of you guys are super funny with the random things you say, it's my favorite thing to see what shenanigans you guys will say next! Anyway, you made your sneak peek! So here you go!  
**

* * *

 _"Natsu..." Lucy began, and reached out to touch his arm, only to jump a little as what felt like a warm current traveled between them, making her feel tingly all over. It occurred to her belatedly that, except for that moment when she was trying to stop the fight between Natsu and Gray, this was the first time she'd actually voluntarily touched him._

 _His eyes flashed over to her, having felt the odd current pass through him as well. Natsu had touched Lucy plenty of times before in the past, but she was the one who summoned him. Her touch had a more unique pull._

 _He wondered if the closer she got to him, the more firm a hold her failed contract would have over him._

 _"Careful Luce," he murmured, "feels like your magic recognizes I'm supposed to be your Familiar or something."_

 _"Right, sorry," Lucy swallowed in an effort to shake off the strange feeling. She looked at Natsu who was now sitting upright and climbing out of the bathtub. He glanced up at her in curiosity._

 _"Why're you sorry?" He asked curiously as he climbed out and stretched, wincing a bit at the way his back cracked, "It's normal."_

 _Except... it wasn't. Not entirely. He'd never been summoned before, so he had no direct experience with it, but he'd heard plenty of stories. Other demons often talked about the pull they'd felt from their witch's magic, but they'd never mentioned a sensation like that._


	5. Pangangaluluwa

**Evening everyone! Kytrin here with your Wednesday chapter! No particular announcements tonight, so I'll let you all get on with your reading! Our new chapter for Wild Aces is also up, so don't forget to check that out too! See you guys Sunday!**

* * *

 **CHAPTER 5**

 _ **Pangangaluluwa** _

_a tradition in the Philippines where children go door to door, often in costumes, where they sing and ask for prayers for those stuck in purgatory._

* * *

It was the end of the same week when Lucy woke up early in the morning and lumbered her way into the bathroom.

Or what she _thought_ was her bathroom.

When she pushed open the door, ignoring the utter darkness of the bathroom, a column of steam nailed her directly between the eyes. Lucy grunted and stumbled back a couple of steps, blinking in surprise over the sheer amount of heat that had slammed into her at once.

"Uh," Lucy grumbled, somewhat unintelligent as she reached inside and fumbled for the light switch, only to find it wasn't working.

"Hello?" she called hesitantly into the seemingly endless abyss that had formerly been her bathroom, only to rear back with a scream as a pair of glowing red eyes snapped open from deep within the darkness.

She was unashamed to admit her scream sounded like something out of a horror movie.

Abruptly the light snapped back on and the bathroom looked completely normal like before, leaving only a groggy looking Natsu laying in the bathtub.

"Wazzat Lushee?" he groaned, scratching a hand through messy pink hair.

"Natsu!" Lucy exclaimed, clutching her chest as her heart attempted to pound its way out, "What are you doing in here?! And why wasn't the light working?"

Natsu blinked at her in sleepy confusion, "Cause I had it out?" He hazarded and yawned, "I dunno what you're yellin' for. I was just sleepin'."

Lucy's jaw dropped a little at him, "You were what?"

Natsu peered at her in confusion, "What? I gotta sleep somewhere right?"

Lucy sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose, "Natsu... you have a whole room, with a bed in it, to sleep in!"

"Not safe in there." He shrugged as he started hauling himself out of the tub. There was no way he was going to get back to sleep now, not with Lucy interrogating him like this. So he might as well get up and head downstairs for some food.

Lucy's incredulity vanished as she frowned, "What do you mean it's not safe in there?" She asked in a much softer voice, "Did something happen?"

Natsu blinked a little and shrugged, "You've got a fairy and a slayer that would rather see me dead than alive around. I'm not dumb enough to leave them a vulnerable target like that."

"Natsu..." Lucy began, and reached out to touch his arm, only to jump a little as what felt like a warm current traveled between them, making her feel tingly all over. It occurred to her belatedly that, except for that moment when she was trying to stop the fight between Natsu and Gray, this was the first time she'd actually voluntarily touched him.

His eyes flashed over to her, having felt the odd current pass through him as well. Natsu had touched Lucy plenty of times before in the past, but she was the one who summoned him. Her touch had a more unique pull.

He wondered if the closer she got to him, the more firm a hold her failed contract would have over him.

"Careful Luce," He murmured, "feels like your magic recognizes I'm supposed to be your Familiar or something."

"Right, sorry," Lucy swallowed in an effort to shake off the strange feeling. She looked at Natsu who was now sitting upright and climbing out of the bathtub. He glanced up at her in curiosity.

"Why're you sorry?" He asked curiously as he climbed out and stretched, wincing a bit at the way his back cracked, "It's normal."

Except... it wasn't. Not entirely. He'd never been summoned before, so he had no direct experience with it, but he'd heard plenty of stories. Other demons often talked about the pull they'd felt from their witch's magic, but they'd never mentioned a sensation like that.

It had been warm and inviting, almost arousing. And while some of the more amenable demons had mentioned a pleasurable sensation from their summoner's magic, he couldn't recall them saying it felt sexual. And yet that was the closest description he had to the feeling. It was weird.

He decided not to mention that to Lucy though. She was still struggling with the idea of magic and demons and dragons and fairies in the first place. There was no sense in freaking her out when for all he knew this really was perfectly normal, and those other demons had been bad at their descriptions.

"I just... didn't want to do anything you wouldn't like." Lucy mumbled, her cheeks pinking a little, and Natsu couldn't entirely contain the wicked grin that wanted to erupt.

It seemed his pretty little mistress had been affected too.

"Don't worry Lucy." He rumbled and leaned close, pressing her back against the door frame just a little, crowding her with his presence, "There's very little you could do I wouldn't like."

He grinned at the shiver that worked through her and the enticing honey scent of her arousal as it slammed into her, and rubbed one taloned hand down her side while his other one caressed her cheek, "I suspect..." He purred, leaning close to breathe into her ear, "You would enjoy it too."

He shivered a little at her sharply indrawn breath, wishing for a moment he wasn't just teasing her, and pulled away, "Just say the word." He rumbled, his voice dripping with dark promises. He didn't even bother hiding his interest, "Whenever you want."

Lucy spluttered in disbelief and gaped at him, unsure if she should reach for the back of the toilet seat and clock him with it, or sink into that warm invitation.

This was clearly a demon thing, Natsu didn't have any inhibitions about what he wanted. It seemed almost normal for him, and Lucy supposed to him she almost seemed prudish. She snorted at the thought as he stretched, twisting around to uncoil the knot in his spine.

"Shit I need to remember to bring a pillow next time," Natsu whined, seeming to change the subject to benefit Lucy. He flashed her a crooked grin and she remembered what she had been going to say before he derailed her thoughts.

"Natsu, Levy doesn't stay here every day, same as Gray," Lucy crossed her arms. Even though she had to admit that Levy was staying over more often than not now that Natsu was crashing at her place. Even now the pixie was currently snoozing in her room.

"Yeah, well she seems like a permanent fixture," Natsu shrugged, "Not that I blame her, I haven't given her a good reason to like me. I basically called her pathetic right to her face."

Lucy jolted at that, her mouth hanging open over his careless admission, "Are you serious? Natsu! And you wonder why you have to sleep in a bathtub?"

Natsu didn't reply at first, just giving Lucy a slow grin as a way of his explanation, "the issues between demons and fairies have been going on for a while now."

"Our families have been at odds for a while now. Nothing to do about it," Natsu shrugged. Levy was just something he would have to get used to. After all it was difficult for someone to trust a rabid dog not to bite them.

And Levy didn't know the whole story either.

Lucy sighed a little and shook her head. Part of her very badly wanted to protest this. Levy was her friend, and she wanted to defend her. But she also knew that she only knew a little of the story. Whatever had happened between Levy's family and Natsu's had a long and ugly history, and she had no right to try and call anyone out on it. Or try to force them to be friends.

Sure she could try to break up imminent fights like the one between Natsu and Gray, or ban them from happening in the house, but she didn't exactly have the magic to back her rules up. If her very magical guests wanted to duke it out in her living room, or try to murder each other in their beds, there was little she could do to stop it.

"I'd say it's plenty to worry about." She replied after a few moments, "I'm not particularly thrilled with the idea of people trying to fight or murder each other in my house you know."

She shook her head again, "But it's not my place to tell you and Levy to sweep everything under the rug either. I wasn't there. I didn't see what happened. And I won't try to make light of it in an effort to force you two to get along."

She rubbed her face tiredly, suddenly tempted to go back to bed. This was entirely too much heavy conversation before her morning caffeine.

"I'm going to make some coffee." She mumbled and turned to leave, "I'll get my shower after you're done in here."

"Go for it Lucy, you look like you need it more than me," Natsu replied and he turned towards her, sighing quietly. He hesitated as if unsure if he should say anything but the silence between them stretched into something somewhat uncomfortable.

"I'll try," Natsu said finally, "to be nice that is. But it's difficult for me sometimes. I don't really get it."

"But I like it here. You're nice Lucy, and it's been a very long time since I've met someone... nice." Natsu looped his fingers around her wrist.

He gave her a crooked smile, one that caused her heart to flutter more than his wicked smirks or subtle purrs.

"I'll do it for you, okay?" Natsu grinned at her.

"I can't lie though, I don't know how." Natsu shrugged, "So if I'm asked a direct question someone won't like the answer to, then there's really nothing I can do about it."

Lucy supposed that was fair, and she was touched Natsu was going to try not to make her living room into a war zone. Levy may not like Natsu and the feeling perhaps was mutual, but it was nice to know her feelings were being respected.

"Thanks Natsu." She smiled and the uncomfortable tension between them faded. She resisted a sudden, and ridiculous, urge to hug him and settled for squeezing his wrist back. A lesser version of the initial shock shivered its way up her spine, but she ignored in favor of appreciating the way he relaxed and smiled back.

She pulled away before it could get awkward again, "Hurry up." She told him, "I've decided I want to make omelets for breakfast. With the works."

She grinned at his surprised expression and headed down the hall. Not surprisingly, Levy was already up, and had been watching attentively from the bottom of the stairs, though she would've been too far away to see or hear anything.

"Is everything alright Lu?" She asked as soon as Lucy had joined her, "Erza and I heard you scream..."

"It's fine." Lucy replied, "Natsu was in the bathroom and scared the living daylights out of me when I went in."

She wandered into the kitchen where Erza was blinking blearily over a coffee mug, and Lucy had to repress a wince. Another late night stakeout for the detective it seemed. There had been a lot of those lately. Night time crime had taken a sharp jump in recent months and Erza's nearly every waking moment was spent either working cases, dealing with paperwork, or dealing with newbies.

By the time her friend got home in the evening she maybe had the energy to choke down something and fall face first on her bed. Changing out of her clothes was optional.

"Bad night?" She asked the redhead sympathetically, and received an unintelligible groan in response, along with a tiredly inquiring look.

"Don't worry." Lucy replied assuringly, "Just a misunderstanding. I was going to make omelets for breakfast. Do you have time for one?"

Erza's head gave an interested perk that Lucy took for assent and she smiled as she headed over to start a fresh pot of coffee, quietly grateful she always kept the good stuff on hand, and got breakfast going.

Having seen Natsu demolish a pie and ice cream, she made sure to get him an extra one. So when he came downstairs from his shower, hair damp and towel draped across his neck, they were ready.

Lucy swallowed at the sight of him, broad shouldered and strongly built. He was missing his shirt, giving her a full view of his upper body. It was almost as if he wasn't real, all carved muscle and strength in each motion.

"Morning," He greeted with an oblivious looking grin, blinking at the red faced Lucy who gripped the spatula in her hand like it was a sword.

All he was currently wearing besides a towel were a pair of borrowed sweatpants from Gajeel, and Natsu didn't seem to have even the slightest problem with his state of dress.

Lucy could still see droplets of water sizzling off his shoulders and her mouth suddenly felt very, very dry. Sure she had seen Gray shirtless several times in the past and that man was also _ripped_ , but there was a stalking hint in Natsu's step that reminded her of a predatory creature even if the action was as simple as poking his head in the fridge for something to drink.

When Natsu turned to do that, she could see a smattering of faded scars littering his back. Some covered over his ribcage while others stretched down and disappeared near his hip.

They did nothing to detract from his appearance any, but it made a distant part of her brain not consumed with appreciation for how _very_ tight his butt looked wonder just how he'd gotten them.

The sound of a clearing throat made her jump and she looked up in time to see Levy give her a pointed look from the table. Oh. Right. Breakfast. She blushed a bit as she hastily turned and slid the last omelet onto a plate. Erza and Levy already had theirs, in fact Erza's was already gone and the redhead was getting up to finish getting ready and head to work.

Levy's wasn't that far behind Erza, and Lucy had to wonder if perhaps her friend was hurrying to avoid spending any time in the same room as Natsu.

It was very likely. Lucy shook her head mentally and made a note to try and spend some time with her friend today. Maybe they could talk about things a little bit.

With that in mind she smiled as Natsu straightened up and held out his plate to him, trying very hard not to let her eyes wander over his chest too much.

She thought maybe it was a losing battle though if the way he raised an eyebrow at her was any indication. He said nothing though as he wandered over to the table, though she thought maybe there was a bit more swagger to his step than before.

She spared a moment to sulk about that a little as she grabbed her own plate and joined them.

Natsu's eyes followed after Lucy, once more feeling that tug in his gut for him to close the distance between them. His gaze remained locked on her despite how fuzzy his head began to feel, eventually dropping his gaze down to his plate to hide a smirk.

He wasn't sure what it was about her, but Lucy was attracted to him. He could taste it in the light buzzing of her energy. Natsu would have liked to sample it, wondering how she would taste. Even though he no longer had to sustain himself off the lives of humans like many others of his kind, he still wanted to just a _taste_.

He was so curious, wondering how easy or difficult it could be to coax that magic from her. It could be simple. He could slide his hands over the generous swell of her hips, down her soft thighs to part his fingers between her legs. He could imagine the breathless sigh she would make against his skin, his mouth sucking against her ear.

He imagined how warm and pliant she would be in his hands, how her fingers could feel threading through his hair. Or the brush of her plump lips against his.

Natsu plopped a cheesy part of an omelet in his mouth, humming with satisfaction. Lucy would be a treat, that was for sure.

However it wouldn't be any fun if there was a small part of her still hung up on the Devil Slayer. Natsu's brow twitched, a growl of distaste boiling within him.

Lucy was wasted on Gray. If _he_ had been in the humans shoes, then nothing could have ripped him from Lucy's side. Nothing.

He swallowed his growl with another bite, and snuck a glance over at Lucy, who was flipping through her mail with a small frown.

"Something wrong Lu?" Levy asked curiously.

Lucy blinked and looked up, tossing the unopened letters aside with a hint of disgust, "No. I just haven't heard from my publisher about my next book yet. They're a week overdue from when they said they'd get back to me."

"I'm sure it'll come soon Lu don't worry." Levy replied encouragingly, pointedly not looking at Natsu, but for once Natsu didn't mind.

Publisher? Lucy had mentioned she was a writer, and a published one at that, but he hadn't really thought about what that meant. She actually made her living writing books about stuff? It was an interesting idea that was for sure. He wasn't sure there was a parallel in the magical realms except maybe a scholar.

He remembered she wrote for entertainment rather than more scholarly pursuits, and a small portion of his mind couldn't help wonder if she would be interested in acting out some of the scenes from her books if it was entertainment.

He repressed a soft growl and a shiver at that thought, and clenched his fork a little tighter as his libido demonstrated in detail just how much it liked that idea.

The heated buzz vanished a moment later, however, as he picked up the sensation of being watched.

He stiffened a little on reflex and glanced subtly around. There was no one visible, but that hardly meant anything. He knew four different ways of staying hidden just off the top of his head. His scalp prickled a little as the sensation intensified, but he forced himself into a semblance of calm. It would do no good to let his unsubtle watcher know he was onto him.

Not before he got a chance to have a little chat with him anyway.

Glancing out the corner of his eye at his cup of coffee, he was able to make out a shadowed figure hiding in one of the dark corners of the living room adjoined to the kitchen.

An imp, huh?

They were low level creatures, used by his brother to spy on enemies or sometimes just keep track of his little brother. It was irritating to be monitored like that, but Natsu pretended he didn't notice for the time being and kept eating his breakfast.

He glanced at Levy to see if she noticed anything unusual, but the pixie didn't seem to even bat an eye. It didn't surprise Natsu so much, imps were specific to assassinations and intelligence gathering. They weren't meant to be noticed.

Not to mention, Levy wasn't really a combat fairy. Pixies sometimes were, but they were extremely powerful in their support magic which made them ideal allies in wars.

Natsu would not care to be on the end of a hex from Levy.

Nor Lucy for that matter.

"I can make your book get published for you Lucy," Natsu wheedled, putting on a show for the nosey imp, "it wouldn't be hard for that wish to come true."

Lucy laughed and rolled her eyes, "I'll keep that in mind Natsu." She replied in amusement as she got up and collected her plate, "But I think I'll try to hold out a little longer. I doubt that was my desire anyway."

Natsu shot her a pout as she headed over to the sink, though inwardly he was purring over how well that had gone. Just enough to put on a good show without giving away too much. Perfect.

Not that he intended on letting the imp live anyway, but there was a fair chance his brother was listening in too. The less said about the true state of affairs the better.

Oblivious to her demon's thoughts, Lucy stretched a bit, "Alright I'm gonna go take a shower and get dressed." She waved, "I'll be back in a little bit."

Levy nodded to Lucy's back and shot Natsu a dark look before getting up, "I'm going to the library." She sniffed, her nose in the air as she got up and stalked out.

That left him on cleanup. Perfect.

He quickly gathered the remainder of the dishes and brought them to the sink and turned the water on. The imp shifted behind him, no doubt gleefully taking notes about what he was witnessing _Prince Natsu_ doing. The knowledge made him twitch, but he kept himself composed as he seemed to go through the motions of starting the dishes until he was sure both women were out of immediate earshot.

He walked over to the stove, where the pan and things still were, which was conveniently close to the imp's hiding place. However, instead of picking anything up he plunged his arm straight into the shadow without any warning, grabbed the imp around the throat and pulled him out to slam him against the refrigerator.

"Having fun spying?" He purred menacingly.

* * *

 ** _Okay! Special thanks to everyone who reviewed! You guys killed it again! I gotta say, I'm impressed by the many theories we have rolling around from you all, and I really can't wait to see what all you come up with next. Or what you think of the truth! Much love, keep 'em coming, and enjoy your preview!_**

 _"Really, however shall you thank me for your daring rescue then?" Natsu purred to her. His tongue flicked out between his fangs, wetting his lips while his eyes travelled to the hem of Lucy's towel._

 _"Maybe you'll let me have a little taste of your soul to get the foul taste out of my mouth," Natsu purred. His fingers curled up between them to find a lock of her hair and twist it._

 _He could hear Lucy's heart leap up as he dipped his face in closer. Slow, pressed his nose against the hollow of her throat, skimming down to her shoulder blade._

 _"What d'you say Lucy?" Natsu's smirk was all sharp teeth and invitation, "promise to be gentle."_

 _Lucy's cheeks were rosy red, hardly able to wrap her mind around Natsu's seductive purrs or invitations. She wondered what the sensation would be, because the demon didn't seem to care much for it. However that tingle she sometimes got around Natsu seemed to return._

 _"Does it hurt?" She asked without realizing it, almost slapping herself for even vocalizing it._

 _Surprised she was even playing along with him, Natsu raised an eyebrow and laughed quietly, "It's different for everyone, but not usually."_

 _He leaned a little closer, "Are you offering Lucy?"_


	6. The Hungry Ghost Festival

**Hey guys! Kytrin here again with your new chapter of Samhain! I have a couple things to go over, but I'll put those at the end of the chapter, so you guys can get on with the story!**

 **WARNING: THERE IS MILD LIME IN THIS CHAPTER! PLEASE MIND THE PURITY LINES TO AVERT THINE EYES! (I know no one will do this *smirk*)**

 **EDIT: Sorry, the usual marks apparently no longer save. I put in lines for now. We'll come with something a little clearer next time.**

* * *

 **CHAPTER 6**

 ** _THE HUNGRY GHOST FESTIVAL_**

 _On the 15th day of the seventh lunar month, which is around mid-August to mid-September, the people of Hong Kong celebrate the Hungry Ghost Festival. In several parts of East Asia, people believe that spirits get restless around this time of year and begin to roam the world. The festival is a way to "feed" these spirits both the food and money they need for the afterlife. It's part of a larger month-long celebration that also features burning paper and food offerings._

* * *

"M'lord Natsu!" The imp struggled, gasping around his bruised throat as he tried to pry the stronger demons hand from his neck, "I was just- I was just-!"

"Spying for Zeref," Natsu hissed at him, "You know the rules for summons brother." He spoke instead to the gen tied around the imps neck.

"Now I get to kill this bottom feeder," Natsu licked his lips, "Or maybe I'll just suck all the life force out of him. He won't be filling, but I've had _such an itch_ lately."

He cracked his knuckles in his free hand, lifting the fist into the air, "My mistress won't be happy with me destroying her appliances, so I'll send you the bill." He purred

He swung the imp into the air so he could lay the demon out with a good punch, only to find that his fist passed completely through the air. Natsu yelped as he swung wide, the imp fleeing for its life up the stairs.

"Wait you damn slippery little-! Shit!" Natsu swore, pissed at himself for playing with his food. Gajeel always got onto him for taking too long with his kills, and this was why.

Natsu crashed up the stairs after the imp, knowing exactly where the little shit was heading. Slamming his way past the library and a surprised looking Levy, he snarled at her to get back inside.

There was a feminine scream from inside Lucy's bathroom, and Natsu snarled in fury over the imps impudence.

He skidded to a halt by the door just in time to hear an outraged, "What the heck are you doing in my bathroom?! GET OUT!"

There was the sound of flesh meeting flesh and a sharp impact that had Natsu flinging the door open, half fearing the worst, only to pause for a moment and stare in bewilderment at the sight of the imp plastered against the far wall.

He looked over at Lucy, who was currently flushed red with fury, and haphazardly wrapped in a towel, her foot still raised from where she'd apparently delivered one hell of a kick.

A hot curl ignited in his belly and he couldn't help an approving growl from rumbling as he grabbed the still dazed imp again.

"Who the hell is that?" Lucy demanded furiously, "And what's he doing in my bathroom?!"

"He's an imp." Natsu drawled in response, "A little spy my brother sent in _direct_ violation of summon rules." His features sharpened into his demonic form as he glared at the quivering demon, "And this time you're not going to get away."

"Wait!" The imp squeaked in protest only for the rest to get garbled as Natsu opened his fanged mouth and savagely tore his life energy from him to devour it whole.

The sensation was foul, and unlike the human whom he sampled on at the party, this imp tasted thin and flavorless.

Natsu dropped the imp onto the bathroom floor, wiping the back of his mouth with his fist. Slowly the body disintegrated into ash, puffing up in a cloud of smoke as the imp vanished.

"Disgusting," Natsu snarled quietly, straightening up and sticking out his tongue.

"What did-, what did you do to it?" Lucy asked, her eyes quite wide in shock over the dissolved body now disappearing from her floor.

Natsu's features relaxed and he straightened up, raising an eyebrow at Lucy, "I devoured its life force. Or I suppose you could call it a soul."

Natsu lifted his hand to hush Lucy's questions, but dropped his heel over Zeref's gem and ground that too into dust.

Once it was gone, he nodded over at the human who looked extremely confused, "Yes. I can eat souls. They're renewable if you're not an idiot and rip it out at the heart. Even demons have them but ours taste like shit."

Lucy stared at him silently for several long moments, long enough for Natsu to start worrying if she was going to have a bad reaction to this revelation. A lot of people did. And while he couldn't exactly fault them for it, it _was_ depressing.

Doubly so since he'd begun to hope that he was making progress with Lucy. As a friend.

He was therefore shocked speechless when she abruptly surged into motion, but instead of fleeing for the door, she rushed to his side and began inspecting him.

"You're alright right?" She asked worriedly, "I mean, he didn't hurt you or anything right? He tried to grab me when he got in here and his claws grazed me." She waggled a shoulder where he could now see a neat row of the angry red ridges.

The skin hadn't broken, no blood had been drawn, but it was a near thing, and he growled angrily at the sight of them marking her.

"He touched you?" He demanded, his thumb tracing gingerly over the welts.

Lucy smiled and grabbed his hand, "I'm fine Natsu. I've gotten worse scratches from my rose bushes. I'm more worried about you."

Natsu stared at her, "Why are you worried about me? The imp was low level. He couldn't have hurt me if he'd tried." He frowned a little and gave her a squinty look, "How come you're not running for the hills? I _devoured_ _his soul._ In front of you. Shouldn't you be screaming by now?"

Lucy eyed him thoughtfully for a moment and smiled wryly, "Maybe I should." She agreed, "But you just saved me from being attacked, or worse, by a demon that might be low level to you, but could've killed _me_ easily. From my perspective, you devouring his soul was him getting off easy."

Natsu couldn't help the lazy smirk that began to creep over his face at that, his thumb gently caressing the area above Lucy's scratches. He growled, unhappy and sour at the idea she had been injured. But he tilted his head into her personal space to smile wide.

"Really, however shall you thank me for your daring rescue then?" Natsu purred to her. His tongue flicked out between his fangs, wetting his lips while his eyes travelled to the hem of Lucy's towel.

"Maybe you'll let me have a little taste of your soul to get the foul taste out of my mouth," Natsu purred. His fingers curled up between them to find a lock of her hair and twist it.

He could hear Lucy's heart leap up as he dipped his face in closer. Slowly, pressed his nose against the hollow of her throat, skimming down to her shoulder blade.

"What d'you say Lucy?" Natsu's smirk was all sharp teeth and invitation, "Promise to be gentle."

Lucy's cheeks were rosy red, hardly able to wrap her mind around Natsu's seductive purrs or invitations. She wondered what the sensation would be, because the demon didn't seem to care much for it. However that tingle she sometimes got around Natsu seemed to return.

"Does it hurt?" She asked without realizing it, almost slapping herself for even vocalizing it.

Surprised she was even playing along with him, Natsu raised an eyebrow and laughed quietly, "It's different for everyone, but not usually."

He leaned a little closer, "Are you offering Lucy?"

Lucy shivered at the husky tone of his voice and the way it slithered over her skin, making her tingle and tense with anticipation. It really should be illegal how easily just the sound of his voice had her wanting to bend over the nearest object and beg him to take her.

"Yes." She breathed, heat and excitement washing over her in a wave that left her a little dizzy. And he hadn't even touched her yet!

* * *

"Lucy..." Natsu groaned, his eyes burning with heat and want and other things she couldn't quite put a name to. He curled his arms around her and pulled her close, his hips grinding lightly against hers, the hard ridge of his desire apparent.

She shuddered at the feel of him, as much for his size as for the sheer wonder that she was desired. She'd never expressed it out loud, but when Gray had lost interest in her there had been a small, evil, part of her that had wondered if she was undesirable. Now she knew that for Natsu at least, that was not the case.

She whimpered a little involuntarily as he spread his hands against her back, the heat soaking through the towel in an instant, and her hands curled up around his shoulders, prompting a shiver from him in response.

He gently buried his nose in her neck, and without thinking she bared her throat to him, almost like he was a vampire. He growled something unintelligible at the sight and pulled her tightly against him. His lips trailed delicately down her neck, while one hand slid up her back to tangle in her hair, and wrapped firmly around her pulse point.

This was different from what she'd seen him do to the imp, but a moment later she'd forgotten the imp even existed as he sucked gently.

White hot pleasure exploded through her at the contact, and her knees buckled. It was like he was caressing every erogenous zone she had all at once, and a desperate cry of pleasure tore from her throat before she'd even realized it was building.

It was answered by a muffled growl, and Lucy was suddenly vaguely aware of her back hitting a wall and a powerful thigh sliding between hers.

Lucy's hands grasped at Natsu's back, her nails trying to find purchase against the strong ridges of muscles flexing to keep her in place.

The sensation was incredible and Lucy found it difficult for her not to surrender to Natsu's wicked mouth and hot, hot hands. She felt a tight coil working in her stomach, twisting with so much force she thought she would burst from the inside out. Her body reacted in every way, reminding her powerfully how she wasn't wearing underwear. Her hips ground down against his thigh to get some relief, her back arching with desperation for more friction.

His sharp fangs dug lightly into her neck, causing pleasure to shoot right up her spine and saturate her mind with ecstasy. She let out a sob, unable to contain it. Her towel dislodged slightly, making the fluffy fabric sag over her breasts. Lucy found she didn't care. She wanted- she _needed_ -

* * *

"Lucy!" A familiar voice cut through the haze of pleasure, causing her to gasp and look toward the door. Natsu had also frozen what he was doing, dark eyes drifted over to the source of their interruption.

Levy, who clearly came to investigate the source of noise, was staring at the two of them like they were caught with their pants down. And in their case it wasn't too far from the truth.

Except her eyes were narrowing on Natsu, her teeth clenched together and her hand jolting through the air. To Lucy's amazement, the little pixie wrote out the physical word "water" in the air.

It went crashing into Natsu, who yelped and tumbled into the bathtub, groaning for probably more than one reason.

"How dare you!" Levy shouted at the demon, who was now soaked and pushing himself upright. He looked disoriented until he turned his attention to Levy and growled at her.

"Is that what you're really after? Lucy's soul?" Levy accused him, jabbing her finger at him, "don't you dare try it again! She's not something you can feed on whatever you want to!"

"Levy it's not like-" Lucy tried, but Natsu leapt to his feet.

"Fine, I'm leaving anyway," Natsu snarled at the pixie and stormed out to the door, but hesitated just outside to look at Lucy over his shoulder.

Only for Levy to shut the door squarely in his face.

"What the hell was that?" Lucy demanded the moment the door was closed, pissed off at both the interruption and the way Levy had treated Natsu, "You didn't even _ask_ what was going on!"

Levy started in surprise at Lucy's tone, but then her chin raised mulishly, "I didn't need to ask!" She retorted, "I know what a demon feeding looks like! Lucy he was taking your soul!"

"Not all of it!" Lucy exclaimed indignantly, "Do you seriously think I would let him or _anyone_ that close without my full knowledge and consent? Come on!"

"You... you were going to _let_ him take your soul?" Levy asked in horror, "Lucy, how could you? He's a demon! You can't trust them! He would've drained you dry!"

"No. He wouldn't." Lucy snapped, "And if you would stop reacting and actually _listen_ for a change you would know that!" She glared at her friend, "For your information he barged in here not ten minutes ago to save me from an imp that was spying on us! An imp Levy! One his own brother sent! And what did he do? He killed the thing before it could hurt me, and destroyed his brother's magic bug gem."

She narrowed her eyes, "He didn't have to do that. Just like he didn't have to swear to protect me. You remember that? How he swore on his honor that he would protect me? Or how about the fact that demons can't actually lie? So when he said it would be just a taste, I believed him!" Her tone softened, "And I offered to let him have it. Of my own free will."

She sighed at her friend's stricken expression, "Look Levy... I don't pretend to fully understand what happened between you two to cause so much bad blood. I know that Natsu can be blunt, and an ass, when he's minded to be, but so far he's done nothing but help me. That deserves at least a little trust don't you think?"

Levy stared at Lucy, opening her mouth and closing it. She looked away and clenched her fingers in front of her body.

"I'm sorry Lu, but I don't," Levy said quietly. She directed her gaze back towards Lucy, "I'm sorry I interrupted you. I was trying to protect you and be a good friend, but I can see I just made matters worse for you."

"But you're right, you don't know the whole story. I can't expect for you to understand it either," Levy frowned, "But their honesty is twisted with loopholes and Natsu is not the man you think he is."

"Then why don't you help me to understand by explaining it," Lucy exclaimed, "Or you two could just talk it out like a pair of adults instead of taking cheap shots at one another every chance you get!"

Levy glared, angry at something besides Lucy and glanced at the door.

"My brother is the Oberon of Spring. He's an extremely powerful fairy. A real one, with all the power of his season," Levy explained, quiet so Natsu wouldn't overhear, "But Zeref didn't like that and he sent his demons to poison my brothers mind. While he was struggling to overcome the mental attack, Zeref's Generals and Lieutenants - Natsu, came to my village and burned the whole place to ash."

"They promised they were coming to save us from our _mad_ king, but that meant only in death," Levy spat out, bitter.

"So by all means, trust the man who was responsible for burning down homes and killing innocents, I'm sure his word means everything to him," Levy crossed her arms.

Lucy stared at Levy for a long moment and reached around her to open the door, "C'mon."

Levy blinked in surprise, "What?"

"C'mon." Lucy replied, her tone even, but brooking no argument, "Downstairs. Let's go."

She turned without waiting and marched down the hall and back down the stairs to the kitchen where she saw Natsu standing with a cup of coffee in hand. He looked up at her in surprise and she offered him a slight smile, "Are you drinking that or using it?"

"Er, using it." Natsu replied hesitantly, not at all sure what was going on, and judging by the look on Levy's face he wasn't the only one, "I'm talking to Gajeel."

"Perfect!" Lucy replied with a peculiar tightness, "Gajeel, can you possibly do us a favor?"

There was a moment's pause and then, "Sure blondie. What's up?"

"I'd like you to bring Levy's brother over." Lucy replied with deceptive calm, "As soon as possible please."

"What?" Levy exclaimed, "Lu… are you insane? Not even MY messages have been getting through thanks to this war!"

"Maybe. But you're not a dragon in the thick of it allied to your brother either." Lucy replied in the same deceptively even tone she'd been using the whole conversation.

"Why d'you wanna talk to glitterbutt anyway?" Natsu asked in mild confusion. He'd heard the angry conversation upstairs, but that didn't explain Lucy's line of thinking.

"Blondie... you know he's a king right?" Gajeel rumbled from the mug.

"Yes, I've heard." Lucy replied, "But I believe he'll be interested in seeing his little sister again if nothing else. Either way I have some questions for him."

"Questions?" Levy and Gajeel asked at the same time.

"Yes." Lucy looked up at her best friend, "Questions. Because right now I'm caught right in the crosshairs of a war between my best friend and the demon who swore to protect me, with no discernible loopholes I can see, and saved my life. A war this guy Jellal is apparently at the center of, and probably the only unbiased one. Therefore I want to bring in the only source of information _everyone_ here should trust."

She looked back at the cup, "Is that something you can help with Gajeel? Or do I need to get directions to his fairy court or whatever and drag these two with me so we can settle this once and for all?"

"You would walk, knowingly, into a fairy court over this?" Levy asked faintly, as if she couldn't believe her ears, or believe Lucy could be so bold.

"If it'd resolve this mess once and for all, and get me some peace and quiet in my own home I'd do a lot worse than that." Lucy replied stubbornly, "So what do you say Gajeel? Can you help me out?"

"I'll see what I can do. It ain't easy to get in contact with him, but I'll let you know what I can dig up," The mug replied. There was an awkward silence following his statement before he cleared his throat, "Uh bye for now?"

"See ya Gajeel," Natsu smirked at the mug. He took a sip out of the coffee and glanced over at Lucy, still feeling that simmer in his gut whenever his eyes met hers.

He should have never gotten a taste of her. There was an endless, craving itch he felt now, wanting to satisfy the urge to feel more of her. That fragrant, delectable soul with her pliable body pressing into his.

Granted he had scried for Gajeel to snarl at him over the problems he was having with the damned pixie. And to fantasize about plucking her little wings off.

But it also warmed his heart how Lucy spoke up for him, even if he knew Levys words had cast doubt on him to Lucy. He took a seat, his body tense and wound up.

Levys water had done nothing to dampen his spirits, and Natsu desperately wanted more of a taste of Lucy. But it seemed he wouldn't be permitted until this matter had been resolved.

"I'm going to my room, there aren't any traps in there, right?" Natsu asked Levy directly, his gaze deadpan on the pixie.

"Not anymore," Levy responded back, just as short and cutting.

"Perfect, thank you princess Levy," Natsu purred and sank into a mocking curtsy. He gave Lucy a small smile but went back up the stairs to disappear. Clearly he didn't want to be anywhere near Levy right now.

Mostly because his very real, demonic urges were snarling at him to turn the woman who interrupted him while feeding into paste. There were some things you didn't interrupt a demon when they were in the middle of, feeding being one of them.

Lucy watched Natsu retreating and wished she dared to follow him. Levy's words were relevant, and she trusted her best friend, but she simply couldn't shake the sensation of the intense pleasure as he'd fed on her, or the very physical pleasure they'd been building up to.

She shivered a little at the memory and gripped her towel a little tighter, "I'm going to get my shower." She told Levy as she headed for the stairs too.

A shower and maybe a little more.

And so help her... if Levy interrupted _that_ she would remind her friend just how she'd managed to pass Erza's defense course.

* * *

 _ **Okay! I hope you all enjoyed that! Real quick, I wanted to let everyone know that Mslead and I will both be out of town next Wednesday for the Thanksgiving holiday. That said, I will have access to a computer, so I'll do my best to update on Wednesday anyway, but if I'm a bit late well... holiday and seeing family lol.**_

 _ **Other than that, I want to wish everyone else traveling for the holiday safe travels, and watch out for the nuts on the road! I also want to say thank you to all of our lovely reviewers for last chapter! You were awesome, and enjoy your preview! :)**_

 _"If Zeref can be dismantled from within his own army, then the empire will collapse in on itself," Natsu growled._

 _"But they're your people, why would you do that? Why would you plan that?" Levy asked, speaking up for the first time and meeting Natsu's eyes._

 _He snorted and leaned forward, his fingers folding in together, "Many demons don't like hurting others, but because of our reputation it's difficult for us to make alliances outside of our race. We're a militant species and it makes others fear us because we've spread so much destruction."_

 _"I'm tired of breaking things, I want to build something. And my demons want a **home** not a battlefield to rest their heads," Natsu glared down at the table, "None of us have that but all of us want it."_


	7. Pitru Paksha

**Hey guys! Kytrin here at last! Apologies again for the delay from Wednesday. Rest assured I've taken measures not to have this happen again lol. For now, enjoy your chapter!**

* * *

 **CHAPTER 7**

 _ **PITRU PAKSHA** _

_For 16 days during the second Paksha of the Hindu lunar month of Bhadrapada, many people in India celebrate Pitru Paksha. In the Hindu religion it is believed that when a person dies, Yama—the Hindu god of death—takes his or her soul to purgatory, where they'll find their last three generations of a family. During Pitru Paksha, the souls are briefly allowed to return to Earth and be with their families._

* * *

Jellal considered the house before him thoughtfully as he stepped out of the treeline behind it.

It was a quaint place. Not a newer structure by any means. Rather it had the charm of someone who had taken what was old and lovingly restored it to newness. Something he could certainly appreciate. Though he rather thought the garden was more enchanting.

Clearly human in design, with pathways and clever little ornaments, it nevertheless had the touch of the fae in it. Not much, but enough to hint a little at the wild. Something that made him smile a little. Clearly his sister's delicate touch. Particularly as it was built to bloom year round if he wasn't mistaken.

Altogether, he thought it was a delightful mix of old and new, human and not. He could see why his sister was so comfortable here. And so very attached to the young mortal who would create such a home.

He gently caressed an apple tree as he made his way up the path, giving it a little boost of strength for the long winter ahead, and blessing its apples to be crisp and sweet, before pausing at the back door to tap politely on it.

Just inside he could see a young blond, presumably this Lucy Gajeel and Levy had told him about, looking up in surprise from where she'd been writing at some papers at the table. He smiled as she focused on him, and could almost see the realization cross her face as to who he must be. He saw the relief light her features just as clearly as she pushed away from the table and rushed over to the screen door to open it.

"Ah! Hello!" She exclaimed with a bright smile, "Would you be Jellal?"

His smile turned approving as she made no move to invite him in, or presume he was who he appeared to be. It seemed the young witch had gotten quite a crash course in magical culture.

"I am Jellal." He replied gently, and bowed slightly, "Might I have the honor of addressing Lady Lucy Heartfilia?"

She blushed a little as she curtsied automatically and laughed, "That's me." She replied, "But you can just call me Lucy. I prefer to be casual whenever possible." She gestured, "Would you like to come in, or would the garden be preferable?"

Jellal laughed softly, "Inside is perfectly fine." He assured her, "And will surely be more comfortable for you this time of year."

He gestured wryly to the mid-November treeline in all of it's multi-hued glory.

"Thank you," Lucy grinned and stepped aside to let Jellal in, "Imagine that! A royal with manners!"

Natsu just grunted in acknowledgment where he was sitting with his feet up on the kitchen table. He peeked over the top of his magazine and smirked at the King, "King fancypants." He greeted

"Lord Natsu," Jellal said with an exaggerated sense of patience. He glanced around them, clearly looking for where his sister might be, "And Levy is...?"

"Jellal!" Levy cried out from where she had turned through the hallway. She and Natsu had taken to being on opposite sides of the house, but it proved to be the exception this time as she ran to hug her brother tightly.

"Jellal! Are you feeling better?" She smoothed a hand over his forehead, "What about the town? Is it all okay?"

"All is well Levy, the attacks have diverted for the time being and we have been able to rebuild. It's still too dangerous for you to return though as I have no heir," Jellal flicked Levys nose before she could ask him her next question.

He turned calm eyes towards Lucy and settled down next to Natsu. Without looking at the demon he knocked his feet clean off the table and caused him to topple over.

"Now Lord Gajeel tells me you have questions for me?" Jellal asked.

Lucy snorted out a giggle at Natsu's squawk, "Thank you for that." She told him, "I've been trying to get him to stop doing that all morning." She looked back at Jellal, "And yes I do."

She glanced at Levy and Natsu, "I assume Gajeel told you what was going on here?" Jellal nodded, "Well then, my first real question is... what actually happened?"

Jellal leaned back in his chair a little, "That's quite a story." He replied, "And not one I would want to re-hash in its entirety. For reasons I'm sure you can appreciate. However, I believe I can help clear up the issue at hand."

He smiled at the way the mortal's gaze fixed on him intently, "To begin with... as I'm sure you've figured out... the truth of the situation is somewhat different from the accounts you've been told." He inclined his head towards Levy, "My sister spoke the truth. I _was_ manipulated by demons, Zeref to be exact, and I _did_ lose myself for a time."

A shadow passed over his face, "It was a very dark time. The things I said and did then haunt me to this day. You see, Zeref isn't dangerous because he's a powerful demon, although he's that as well, his true strength lies in his charisma. With words alone he can twist your logic, your reasoning, until what was down becomes up and what was up becomes down. And all the while, to you, it's perfectly logical and normal."

"He manipulates you with truth." Lucy murmured, and Jellal nodded.

"It's a subtle power and all the more dangerous for it. A great many have fallen victim to his charm over the centuries, and it's wrought untold devastation in both our worlds."

"Is it true that while you were fighting him Natsu and the other high ranking demons laid waste to your village?"

Jellal frowned a little, "Yes and no. Demons did come. They did lay waste to our village and many of our people. And Natsu was among them." He glanced at the tense demon fondly, "However, fighting was not something Natsu was doing. At least not against the village."

Natsu looked away, his shoulders tense and a dark scowl on his face, "I should've done more."

Jellal shook his head, "No Natsu. What happened was a tragedy but it wasn't your fault. And if you'd revealed yourself and your allegiances then you wouldn't be here now. Even a demon dragon of your caliber couldn't have handled that many high level opponents at once."

"What happened?" Lucy whispered.

Jellal returned his attention to her, "Natsu ended the massacre by trying to kill me." He said matter-of-factly, "Instead of helping the other Etherious slaughter my people, he engaged me directly. Because I was distracted by the fight, I could do nothing else to harm my people." He smirked a bit, "And by the time I was done I was half dead, and had been beaten back into my right mind."

"Tough bastard to kill I'll give you that," Natsu nodded more to himself than Jellal, "I punched him in the face so hard it knocked the evil out of him. Damn near broke my hand in the process too!"

"Indeed, you didn't hold back either." Jellal sighed and lifted his gaze to Levy's, "Natsu brought me back to my senses, and once the demons had left he assisted in getting the fires under control so rescues could be completed."

"My defeat was a victory for the demons and demoralizing for the fairies, but had it not happened the end result would have been much worse," Jellal said gravely, "our race would be extinct, and the demons would have won the war by now."

"Something Zeref made sure to remind me of when I returned home," Natsu's lips twisted into a bitter smirk. Lucy noticed his hand drifting over to his side where she saw one of the scars crossing on his abdomen a week ago.

"He's an unpleasant one," Jellal sighed, straightening his shoulders and meeting a horrified looking Levy's eyes, "but Natsu has been gathering support from the demons army. He's staging a coup to ally with Gajeel's dragons and my Fairies."

"If Zeref can be dismantled from within his own army, then the empire will collapse in on itself," Natsu growled.

"But they're your people, why would you do that? Why would you plan that?" Levy asked, speaking up for the first time and meeting Natsu's eyes.

He snorted and leaned forward, his fingers folding in together, "Many demons don't like hurting others, but because of our reputation it's difficult for us to make alliances outside of our race. We're a militant species and it makes others fear us because we've spread so much destruction."

"I'm tired of breaking things, I want to build something. And my demons want a _home_ not a battlefield to rest their heads," Natsu glared down at the table, "None of us have that but all of us want it."

Lucy reached over and curled her hand into his, "If I can help you get that I will." She promised, "I'm just sorry I disrupted your plans so badly."

Natsu blinked at her for a moment and grinned, curling his hand around hers and squeezing gently, "Nah don't be. It's easier to plan a coup when I'm out from under my brother's thumb anyway."

Jellal stared at them in surprise for several moments, hardly able to believe what he was seeing. Gajeel had told him it was a case of accidental summoning. Something his sister had set up, but had gone horribly wrong.

Now he wasn't so sure.

Bonded pairs, those drawn together by magic itself, were rare. Always powerful, there were legends about how so often they changed the fate of the world itself. He'd had the privilege of meeting three such pairs in his lifetime, and for all their differences there were two similarities. They all met under strange or extraordinary circumstances. And they were drawn, and devoted, to each other very quickly.

It had been maybe two weeks since the summoning. Long enough, perhaps, for Lucy to begin to trust Natsu and care for him under normal circumstances. However, the demon was old and canny. He was not inclined to trust or loyalty without it being earned. Nor was he all that graceful with change. And yet here he was happily assuring Lucy that all was well.

Had he really been blessed with the opportunity to witness a newly bonding pair take their first steps?

The more he watched them the more certain of it he became, and the more hope filled him. For Natsu was formidable on his own. With his bonded at his side, he would be unstoppable. And there was no telling what form young Lucy's power would take either. There was a real chance she could prove just as powerful as Natsu.

He could hardly wait.

"Was I able to answer all of your questions for you?" Jellal asked, unhooking a chain from around his neck. Lucy nodded, looking up from where her hand was being held by Natsu's warm one.

"Yes, thank you for clearing it up," Lucy spoke with relief, "I was getting exhausted just thinking about this."

Jellal hummed in amusement and nodded.

Levy looked down at the table, somewhat ashamed by her harsh judgement on Natsu. She picked at the table stop with her name and took a breath, "I'm sorry Natsu. I made a snap call on you, and it wasn't fair to blame you for stuff I only had some information on."

"I've been cut off from my world too long to know what was going on," Levy met Natsu's gaze.

The demon said nothing at first, his head tilted to the side as his eyes roved Levys face for signs of deceit. He shrugged after a minute, "Yeah you were wrong."

"But Lucy is lucky to have someone annoying watching her back like you do," He allowed, giving Levy a lazy grin, "Truce?"

Levy huffed a bit but held out her hand, smiling when Natsu's larger hand closed over hers, "Truce."

"Thank the lord," A familiar and perpetually tired voice cut into the conversation.

As one all four occupants of the kitchen turned to stare in shock at the redhead leaning against the door frame in tired amusement.

"Erza!" Lucy exclaimed, half rising out of her seat, "What are you... I mean, how long have you... I thought you were at work?"

"The chief has forced me to take a couple of weeks off." Erza chuckled, "He was adamant his best detective not get herself killed from overwork." She shuffled into the kitchen, eyeing Jellal and his pointed ears and renaissance fair style clothing curiously, and threw her jacket over a chair as she sat down, "As for how long..." She smirked, "Long enough."

"Wha... but I..." Lucy sputtered and Erza's smirk widened.

"You weren't nearly as subtle as you think you were." She told her friend, "First, a strange man shows up after the Halloween party as a guest, and doesn't leave. Obviously not a one-night stand. New boyfriend? Perhaps, but not likely given how sore you were about Gray up until that point. And you're not the type to get into a rebound relationship."

She stretched a little, sighing as various bones popped, and a look of relief crossed her face, "Then, I heard from Cana about how Levy had sent you up to the attic to create a summoning circle with candycorn. Ridiculous sounding, but an interesting note from the party as well. More interesting though, was the way Gray and the guy with studs started showing up randomly, and how he," She nodded at Natsu, "was clearly having problems with Levy, but you weren't kicking him out."

She shrugged, "An unusual set of facts, and not one that made a lot of sense. At least not until I got home just now and heard you talking with this one." She nodded at Jellal, "Though I admit the last thing I was expecting was anything supernatural related."

She eyed Natsu, "Since you've been here since Halloween, and I heard you talk about being a demon, I assume you're the one Lucy somehow summoned and started all this?"

Natsu nodded, a little impressed that she'd noticed as much as she had given how incoherent she seemed to be most of the time.

Erza acknowledged that with a hum and glanced over at Levy, pointing a finger at her, "And you're a fairy, amazing."

She edged over to her friend to poke at her cheek and check her ears to see if they were pointed or not. Her eyes narrowed with curiosity and she glanced over Levy towards Jellal.

"And you're the newest addition I take it," Erza released Levy to set her hands on her hips. Jellal smiled at her, acknowledging the strange human and her clever take on things.

"I'm sorry. You've known something was up for _how long_ now?" Lucy demanded, utterly gobsmacked at her friends casual break down of facts.

"Since day one," Erza gave Lucy a stern look, "you didn't really expect for me to not know did you? I'm a detective. It's my job to know things."

"Yeah but you're usually as energetic as a pile of dead leaves whenever we see you," Natsu pointed out, only to be cowed by Erza turning her deadly glare on him.

Energetic or not, Natsu decided to shut his mouth. He didn't want to die.

"I wasn't going to say anything and add to Lucy's stress," Erza bemoaned and walked over to her friend to clasp her into an embrace. Lucy squeaked at the firm hold, feeling the bones in her neck protest over the whiplash.

Although she had to say that it was a little touching Erza had opted to shelf her own curiosity for Lucy's sake. Lucy knew first hand how adamant Erza could be when she was on the trail of something.

And now I have all of this forced time off!" Erza growled in dismay, "which I guess is nice because now I can get caught up to speed. At least until I get back to the streets and all my open cases."

Lucy frowned a little at that, "That reminds me... what's going on out there? I've never heard of Magnolia having this much crime before."

Erza frowned back, "You know I can't talk much about that Lucy."

"I know!" Lucy replied, hastily waving her hands, "I just meant in general. Like is there a new gang in town or something? They've been working you to the bone for nearly three months, and it was getting bad before that."

Erza's eyes narrowed as she sat back down, "You think this could be related to your forays into the supernatural?"

Lucy frowned and nodded a little, "I mean, maybe not _my_ connection to it exactly, but... if there's war going on in their realm maybe parts of it are spilling over to ours?"

"It's... a possibility." Erza admitted reluctantly, "Certainly we've seen a spike in unexplained cases recently. Locked door murders, disappearances when none should've been possible, an upswing in murders and suicides where the victim doesn't have a scratch on them or any sign of overdose, and others like that."

Natsu scowled, "That last one definitely sounds like a demon." He growled darkly, "No doubt a mid-to high level escaped into this world and has been having fun."

Jellal nodded solemnly, "Even one demon could cause the kind of problems you're mentioning. And if there's one trying to establish a power base..."

"Is there a way to stop it?" Erza asked, "I'm sworn to protect the people of Magnolia, but I can't do that if I'm going up against forces I can't fight."

"Not with my brother still in charge." Natsu replied grimly, "He wouldn't do anything to stop this, and if I act against this without a binding contract with Lucy it'll paint an even bigger target on her than she already has."

Lucy grimaced at the reminder, "I'm sorry we still haven't figured out my wish."

"Isn't it obvious?" Jellal asked raising an eyebrow at the two of them, "I'm not a demon but I imagined it should be clear enough for you two-"

He coughed in surprise when Erza's hand smacked him square over the mouth, causing his chair to tip back and him almost fall over.

"Oh I'm sorry! A fly landed on your face" Erza looked at her hand and smiled at him sweetly. She showed her hand to him, "look I got it!"

"Thank you?" Jellal questioned, noting the steel in the humans eyes which told him on no uncertain term should he finish his sentence. Levy just sighed and shook her head.

"What were you going to say glitterbutt?" Natsu asked, peering around the table with narrowed eyes. The suspicion creeping in them made Jellal straighten in his chair and he opened his mouth.

"Ah yes that, what I was saying," Jellal rubbed at his nose, somewhat impressed by how decisive of a swing Erza had. He smoothed over what he was saying about Lucy's obvious desires, "Gajeel is in the area is he not, the demons are already at war with the dragons and this is his territory. Could it not be resolved if he were to take matters into his own hands to hunt down the stray?"

"Yes I suppose that's true," Levy allowed, "if he would agree to it."

Natsu shrugged and gently untangled himself from Lucy, "Metalhead's probably spoiling for a fight." He agreed as he got up and went to grab the cold cup of coffee they'd taken to leaving out.

Within seconds of Natsu curling his hands around it, the coffee was piping hot and steaming as the demon leaned over it and muttered the spell to place the call.

"Whaddya want _now_ Salamander?" Gajeel grumbled a few moments later, "I'm busy."

"Too busy to hunt down a stray?" Natsu smirked as he leaned back against the counter, "Probably the same one that's been giving your supplies fits?"

There was a moment of silence and then, "Alright Salamander I'm listenin'."

"Found out from Lucy's detective roommate there's a stray setting up camp and chewing on human souls." Natsu replied, "It sounds like he's setting himself up in Magnolia around the-" He glanced at Erza.

"Somewhere between the warehouse district and the club one." Erza replied promptly, "That's where most of the cases have been cropping up."

Gajeel swore violently from the cup, "So _that's_ where that little shit keeps hidin'!" He sighed, "Alright. I'll have Rogue check the area out. See if we can sniff this punk out. What d'you want us to do though? If this shit's breaking human law..."

"Follow demon law and kill him." Natsu growled mercilessly, "He's at least mid level, which is too strong for humans to handle. Just see if you can do it in such a way they can tidy up their cases alright?"

"Check the clubs first, if it's a mid level then it's probably an incubus on a feeding frenzy," Natsu's fingers thrummed against the porcelain of the mug.

He glanced at Erza, "you said some bodies were found without a scratch on them?"

"Yes," she nodded.

"Shit," Gajeel groaned, "That's a demon alright, there must be something in the water if it's being so careless."

"Trying to scare off any other demons vying for its territory. The more bodies it drops the more of a display it makes," Natsu corrected and glanced at Erza, "a club is like a buffet for certain members of my kind. Sometimes they turn into hunting grounds."

"I can see this. Are you sure more of them won't come back?" Erza asked, worried.

"There's no telling," Natsu shrugged, thanking Gajeel and setting the mug down. They really had to wash that damn thing out.

"It won't fix the overall issue until the war is over and I take complete control from Zeref. Right now he lets the demons do what they please with humans," Natsu dropped down next to Lucy, "But it'll give you a reprieve."

"Which is far more than we had before." Erza agreed, relief crossing her face, "Thank you Natsu."

* * *

 ** _And that's the chapter! For those who were a bit worried about the whole soul thing... don't forget Natsu's vowed to protect her, and he can't do that if he hurts her lol. Also, souls regenerate in this universe. Special thanks to everyone who reviewed! You completely rocked it! Enjoy your preview, and we'll see you Wednesday!_**

 _"I missed this!" Lucy grinned as she relaxed into her chair, "I can't remember the last time we've been clubbing!"_

 _"Yeah!" Levy agreed, already bobbing her head a little to the beat, "We should've brought Erza too!"_

 _"And interrupt her date with your brother?" Lucy laughed, "No way!"_

 _Levy blushed, "Luuuu! It's not a date!"_

 _"Really?" Lucy asked with a raised eyebrow, "Then what would you call him taking her to see the starlight trees or whatever they were?"_

 _Natsu cackled as their drinks were brought, and privately agreed with Lucy. It was totally a date. Jellal had made a point of coming to visit nearly every day since he'd met Erza, and it was clear enough to **him** that the old fae had finally been bitten by the love bug._

 _He said nothing however, content to watch Lucy tease her friend as they downed their drinks, and trail his fingers casually up and down her arm._

 _"Ready for some dancing?" He called after a few minutes and nearly stumbled over himself in excitement when Lucy nodded._


	8. Dzień Zaduszny

**Alrighty guys! Here's your new Samhain chapter! No major announcements, so enjoy your chapter!**

* * *

 **CHAPTER 8**

 _ **DZIEŃ ZADUSZNY**_

 _In early November, people across Poland travel to cemeteries to visit the graves of their family members (Dzień Zaduszny is like the equivalent of All Souls' Day for Catholics in the country). The holiday is celebrated with candles, flowers, and an offering of prayers for departed relatives. On the second day, people attend a requiem mass for the souls of the dead._

* * *

"Lucy are you sure about this?" Levy asked for the fourth time as Lucy finished touching up her makeup a few days later, "I mean, Gajeel's still tracking down that incubus..."

Lucy sighed, "I know. But if I don't get out of this house soon I'm going to go nuts." She grinned, "Besides, you and Natsu will be there. That incubus would have to be insane to try something against Natsu. Assuming he even shows up at the same club."

Levy conceded the point with a nod, though she still didn't look entirely convinced, and Lucy couldn't really blame her. Until her magic did...whatever it was going to do to manifest she was singularly vulnerable. However, she was going to go stir crazy if she stayed home much longer. And really, with Natsu there she was as safe as she was going to get.

She double checked her hair one last time and smiled as she grabbed her purse. She headed out of her room with a hint of a swagger, feeling particularly good looking tonight, only to stop in her tracks at the sight of Natsu waiting for her.

The demon was dressed in a simple dark suit with a light pink shirt slightly undone at the collar, and Lucy had to swallow a gasp at how good it looked on him. She'd gotten used to seeing him in various states of dress and undress over the last couple weeks, but that had never included suits, and she was suddenly mourning that fact. Because somehow it brought out every dark and sinful aspect of him to the fullest.

Her heart pounded as she looked him up and down, almost able to imagine swirls of smoke in the dark fabric, and the glint of fire at his wrists. Her mouth went dry as her gaze caught up to his broad grin, and she suddenly had the urge to grab hold of him and rip all that fabric off.

He prowled closer, and Lucy felt her knees wobble a little at the heated promise in his gaze as he held out his hand, "You look delicious Lucy."

He made it very difficult for her to walk upright in heels so she found herself immensely grateful for his offered hand.

His grasp was firm and secure, steadying Lucy so she was able to safely take the last couple of steps down to his level.

Meeting his gaze, Lucy swallowed past a suddenly dry mouth and tried to say something as clever as the demon. However her traitorous mind could only think of ways to invite him to take a taste. Only the fact that he actually would stopped her.

The last thing she wanted was a repeat of the bathroom when she was trying to get out of the house.

"Don't I always?" Lucy teased back at the demon instead, delighting in the way he took obvious appraisal of her. His eyes held a certain fervor to them

He barked out a laugh, a hand dropping down against her waist, "You don't have to be a demon to know that." He purred, dipping his nose close enough to take her scent.

"Guys stop being gross," Levy snorted, hopping up and down on a booted heel. She struggled to get the other one on, her new pendant as a parting gift from Jellal bounced around her neck.

Since their meeting with Jellal, the tension between Natsu and Levy had lessened tremendously.

Natsu snorted as he curled an arm around Lucy's waist, enjoying the way her dress hugged her curves so tightly and bared a delightful amount cleavage, as she pulled her wrap on, "Somethin' tells me you wouldn't mind a little gross." He purred at her.

Lucy shivered but blushed and swatted him, "Stop!" She laughed, "This is a group trip, not 'Natsu can try seducing me for the hundredth time.'"

"Only the hundredth?" He smirked, "I need to step up my game."

"Can we please get going before I get sick all over the place?" Levy huffed, though there was a note of amusement in her impatience, "I wanna try getting in to dance before midnight thanks."

"Yes lets!" Lucy replied before Natsu could say something else to fluster her, and headed for the door. She ignored his amused chuckle as she locked up and headed for her car, but she'd taken no more than two steps from the porch when Natsu tugged her gently.

"I have a better way." He mumbled, giving her sleek little car a wary look.

"Oh?" She asked curiously, "What's that?"

He grinned back at her and guided her towards a particularly dark shadow at the side of the house, "You and Levy hold on tight." He breathed, pulling her close and holding out a hand for Levy.

Levy took the demons hand, already having an idea what Natsu was planning. She slapped a hand over her eyes as Natsu dragged Lucy close to him.

He let out a rough chuckle as he stepped forward. Darkness wrapped around them and Lucy felt almost like she was moving through a dream. There was a weightlessness that drifted over them, Natsu's arms were secured around them and steady.

Lucy didn't feel even a flicker of fear, only absolute trust as he wrapped her in his arms and stepped back out into the light.

They emerged from a dark alley, a crooked grin flashing over his face. They had made the half hour trip in seconds. Even Levy looked impressed by the fast travel.

"It's called shadow stepping," Natsu purred in Lucy's ear. He grinned at the girls and clapped his hands together, "alright, let's get back on track!"

They headed together out of the alley and got in line. Natsu's head craned up, feeling the pulse of the music against his ribs and in his blood. The splashes of neon colors flash overhead, and he could hear, almost taste the humans within.

The pull they typically had on him wasn't as powerful as usual, and Natsu suspected the taste he had for Lucy was curbing his appetite. She had been the most divine morsel he ever had the pleasure in indulging. He craved another taste of her and was having difficulty getting her out of his head.

Not that he'd gotten another chance. Before Jellal's appearance he'd been wary of trying again, no matter how much he ached to, and since then there hadn't been a good moment. Particularly with Lucy working to catch Erza up on everything she hadn't been around for, and Gajeel and Jellal helping him coordinate his coup. Though things had been quiet on that front so far. He'd managed to get a message out to his demonic supporters at least, letting them know what had happened to him and to keep their heads down until he gave the signal.

He just wished he knew when that signal would have to be given.

He shook the thought off as Lucy shifted against him, and her brushing touch sent his blood burning. No, he hadn't gotten a chance for another taste of her yet, but with nothing else pressing he was more than eager to try his luck tonight. The tension between them was almost thick enough for him to feed on and he was extremely hungry.

He kept it to himself, however, as they were quickly ushered in, and the pounding beat of the club's music settled into his bones.

"Drinks ladies?" He called over the beat with a grin, as he flexed his aura just enough to secure them a table. It was too bad he hadn't had a chance to establish himself in Magnolia yet. Otherwise they would've had a VIP booth and treatment. Perhaps next time.

The two nodded and his grin widened as he sent out a small tendril of magic to attract a server's attention for orders. VIP or not he could certainly make do.

"I missed this!" Lucy grinned as she relaxed into her chair, "I can't remember the last time we've been clubbing!"

"Yeah!" Levy agreed, already bobbing her head a little to the beat, "We should've brought Erza too!"

"And interrupt her date with your brother?" Lucy laughed, "No way!"

Levy blushed, "Luuuu! It's not a date!"

"Really?" Lucy asked with a raised eyebrow, "Then what would you call him taking her to see the starlight trees or whatever they were?"

Natsu cackled as their drinks were brought, and privately agreed with Lucy. It was totally a date. Jellal had made a point of coming to visit nearly every day since he'd met Erza, and it was clear enough to _him_ that the old fae had finally been bitten by the love bug.

He said nothing however, content to watch Lucy tease her friend as they downed their drinks, and trail his fingers casually up and down her arm.

"Ready for some dancing?" He called after a few minutes and nearly stumbled over himself in excitement when Lucy nodded.

He was supremely giddy over how Lucy always played along with his flirting. She was special, that was for certain and he wrapped his arms around her once he tugged her to the dance floor.

"I didn't take you for a dancer," Lucy laughed in disbelief as the music tried to snatch her voice away. Natsu just sunk in close to her, hands drifting by her hips to press his lips lightly against her throat. She yielded to him without complaint, a satisfied growl building in his chest.

"This is exactly the music best suited for me," Natsu growled at Lucy, spinning her to the beat and sliding an arm around her waist. His eyes glowed, inviting in the dim light.

Lucy suddenly realized exactly why this was the ideal place for a demon to have their hunting grounds. Natsu could probably seduce the paint off the walls if he tried hard enough.

"Is it?" Lucy said breathlessly, "Then why don't you make it a little more challenging, hm?"

It surprised a laugh out of Natsu, whose warm hands trailed a path of fire along the curve of her body. His nose skimmed along her throat, inviting her to succumb to him by the lightest of touches alone.

"What do you have in mind then Luce?" He asked, hips pressing into hers. His body moved to the beat, well oiled and pulling hers along as if she were captured in a current.

Lucy gasped at the sensation of him pressing into her, reminding her vividly of their interrupted moment in the bathroom, and shivered as heat rippled through her. She'd been dreaming of that moment since it happened, aching for it to happen again. To feel that ecstasy as he nibbled at her essence. To surrender to his every touch and whim.

"I challenge you..." She breathed and curled herself around him to get close to his ear, "To make me scream for you using only your magic." She groaned eagerly, "No hands or anything. I'll reward you with another taste of my soul."

Natsu's mouth went dry at both the challenge and the prospect. Another taste of her soul? And as a reward for pleasuring her? Just the thought had him aching for her and contemplating whisking her back home this instant. But one look in her eyes as she pulled away from him put paid to that idea.

They were dark with lust, but sparkled with mischief. His little witch wanted to play a little first. To draw out the evening. Oh he could do that. And by the time he was done with her tonight she would not only be screaming for him, he would have tasted and explored every inch of her the way he'd ached to since they met.

He never noticed the dark pair of red eyes watching their every move from above. Or the way the owner of those eyes nodded to several figures who abruptly vanished into the shadows.

He smirked and trailed a hand across her cheek, eyes glowing with promise. He tilted his head towards her, lips brushing into her ear, "Too easy."

He flexed his magic the flames of heat curling harmlessly around her legs to flutter through the hem of her dress, pressing high enough to cause a delighted gasp to burst from Lucy. The fire twisted like a snake to slide under her dress. "Relax, no one else can see it. Not unless I want them to." He purred to her

Abruptly he released his magic, his eyes glittering at Lucy whose chest rose and fell in inviting waves. He smirked wickedly, "I'll give you a five minute head start."

"So sure of yourself?" Lucy panted, hardly able to believe what he had done in such a short amount of time. Natsu's eyes caught her in their intensity, promising everything she wanted and more.

"I am," Natsu's voice was husky, burgeoning with a syrupy thickness that threatened to suck Lucy in and never let go. The rush of heat collected in her lower stomach, making her knees feel like jello and all thoughts of escape difficult.

But Natsu was prowling towards her with every step sounding like a predator was closing in on her. Lucy wasn't willing to go down without making things hard for him first though.

"Catch me if you can," she purred, catching his chin with a painted finger and disappearing into the crowd.

Natsu chuckled quietly as she vanished, utterly delighted by this game. It appealed to every one of his instincts, and the fact she'd been the one to suggest it only made it sweeter. He watched the crowd for a moment, absently brushing off a couple of other women interested in dancing, and strolled casually off the dance floor.

He wandered deliberately over to the bar, reasonably confident she wouldn't have circled around that way just yet, if she ever did, and ordered a fireball with a calm that belied his taut nerves and eager excitement. He downed the shot quickly, shivering a little at the burn as it went down, and was contemplating ordering another when a hand dropped on his shoulder.

He whirled around and broke into a wide grin at the sight of Gajeel standing there.

"What're you doin' here runt?" Gajeel smirked, "An' lookin' so fancy?"

"You're one to talk about fancy Metalhead." Natsu snorted, shifting so there was room, "Lucy and Levy wanted to go clubbing, so here I am."

"And you're _not_ on the dance floor?" Gajeel asked, "I thought you would've been tryin' to seduce your pretty little witch by now."

"It's a work in progress." Natsu grinned toothily, "Lucy wants to play a game. So I'm giving her a head start."

Gajeel frowned a little, "That ain't a good idea Salamander. That incubus is still sniffin' around the clubs. If he's here blondie could get herself in trouble."

Natsu frowned, wanting to refute Gajeel's words. He was the prince for crying out loud. What demon in their right mind would challenge him? Except he couldn't help remembering the scratches on Lucy's shoulder from that imp, and realized Gajeel might have a point.

Suddenly worried, he pushed back from the bar, "My five minutes are about up anyway." He replied, "Why don't you go say hi to Levy while I find Lucy?"

"Yeah yeah, someone has gotta keep an eye on the shrimp while you mess around," Gajeel's eyes cast over to where he spotted the tiny slip of a pixie dancing her heart out between two inebriated women. He grinned and walked over, not noticing Natsu disappearing back into the crowd to find Lucy.

His prey in question was not actually having the best of time avoiding problems. No sooner had she split off from Natsu then she got pulled off the dance floor by one of the clubs security.

She groaned, not knowing how she could have gotten into trouble so quickly and wondering what was the hold up. There was an extremely attractive demon she was in the middle of seducing before she got pulled away. Or was it the other way around?

Much to her surprise, Lucy was lead to the back room where the manager's office was. The guard posted up just by the door, nodding for her to go inside. She hesitated at his blank expression, not sure she was comfortable going in by herself.

"Uh what is this about?" She hesitated at the door frame, not budging an inch to cross over into a dark room with a strange man. She was bold with Natsu, but he was a special exception to the case.

"The boss saw you on the floor, he wanted to talk to ya," the guard nodded towards the door and Lucy took a step back.

"Uh no thanks, I'm just going to go back for now, if your boss wants to meet with me he can do it like a normal person out on the floor instead of like a mob boss," Lucy decided, backing up to head back towards Natsu.

What a weirdo, and how uncomfortable. Lucy wasn't at all interested in playing this guys mysterious games.

"Are you sure you don't want to come in?" A voice purred with what was probably supposed to be seduction, but just made Lucy's skin crawl, "I promise it'll be worth your while."

"No thanks." Lucy replied sharply, taking another step back and glaring at the man now visible in the door, "I'm here with more than one person, including my boyfriend, and they'll be wondering where I am."

"Oh, but I must insist." The man purred in a way that vaguely reminded Lucy of Natsu, except the effect left her cold, "Don't worry. I'll make sure you get back to your friends."

Lucy narrowed her eyes, a trickle of unease working down her spine that instantly turned into alarm when two of the guards grabbed her and pushed her forward.

"That's better." The manager purred. He dragged his finger under her chin and grabbed it as she tried to jerk away, "Do try not to struggle my lovely. The end result will be the same anyway. Now... look into my eyes."

Lucy found her gaze dragged reluctantly up to meet the stranger's dark eyes. As soon as they did the guards released her and backed away, though Lucy couldn't imagine why.

"And just what am I supposed to be looking for?" She growled, "My reflection?"

The manager jerked in surprise, "What?"

Lucy, however, didn't respond as she jerked free and sprinted for the corridor back out to the club itself. Unfortunately, she underestimated the speed of the guards as in moments they were back on her and holding her securely.

"You _are_ a feisty one." The manager chuckled as he prowled forward, and in the light of the hallway Lucy could tell that by most standards he was quite attractive, but the sight of him stalking up to her left a cold pit in her stomach.

"Let me go!" She shouted furiously, struggling against their hard grips, just as he cupped her face in his hands and forced her gaze back on him.

"Now... let's try this again shall we?"

Lucy tried to pull back as this time she felt something strange and foreign slithering around in her head. She shuddered with revulsion and lashed out a kick at him to make him stop whatever he was trying to do.

It had the desired effect as he released her and stepped back, staring at her incredulously, "That's impossible!" He exclaimed, "Only a bonded can withstand an incubus of my power!"

Lucy stared in confusion over the words he said but didn't take the time to stop her struggles. Luckily they weren't needed.

Her five minute head start was over.

"Lucy, you've come into some interesting company," Natsu's voice came from the corner of the office. He emerged from the darkest point, his eyes glittering a dangerous ruby.

"Your name is Bora right?," Natsu purred and stalked towards the incubus, "I didn't think you were ever introduced to me, but I'm sure you know my policy on people touching what belongs to me."

Bora gasped at the sight of Natsu, taking a step back at the prowling Prince. "Lord END, I heard rumors you were in the human world but I had no idea this mortal was yours."

"A shame for you," Natsu snarled, flames beginning to burn in all corners of the room. The fire blocked off escape through shadows and created a barrier the demons couldn't slither through. Lucy however felt barely even a tickle of heat from them.

"I didn't know she was your bonded Lord END! Please forgive me!" Bora dropped to his knees before Natsu. The demon lord looked unsympathetic, his eyes cold and vicious as they stared at Bora like he was some kind of insect.

"You frightened her," Natsu hissed, grabbing Bora by the collar and yanking him back up. His temper, while barely leashed before, exploded all at once, "I should string one end of you up from one side of your club to the other!" He snarled, a vein throbbing in his temple.

He slammed Bora into his desk with enough force to cause it to splinter from the impact, "Leave you out as an example to all other demons. She is not to be touched and I will not share her!"

"Natsu..." Lucy breathed, one part stunned and one part touched at how angry he was on her behalf. Angry over the incubus they'd been looking for trying to take her. She shuddered at the thought, fear gripping her as it dawned on her just what he'd been trying to do to her.

"That slime." She muttered, hardly noticing that everyone in the room was looking at her, "He was going to..." And if it hadn't been for a fluke, she couldn't have done anything to stop him. Her magic hadn't been defined yet. She had no idea how to use it.

And that thought, more than anything, scared her the most.

"Lucy?" Natsu asked, torn between pulverizing the demon in his grip and comforting her.

Lucy shook herself a little and scowled at the incubus, "You bastard." She stalked up to him and slapped him as hard as she could, "Is this what you've been doing to those girls you kill?" She demanded, her voice rising with every word, "You drag them back here and mess with their heads? Make them..."

She bit off the words, unable to bring herself to say them, and took a deep breath, "Natsu... he deserves exactly what you planned to do to him. And worse." She looked up at her demon, "But those girls, each and every one of them, deserve their vengeance. Their families deserve closure. Is there a way you can give them that?"

Natsu thought about it for a long moment and shook his head regretfully, "Not if you want him alive and coherent. I can't strip his powers or anything. You turn him over to the humans and he'll be walking free in five minutes."

He reached over to caress her cheek, "I'm sorry Lucy." He said sincerely, knowing that she wasn't entirely comfortable with the idea of him killing, "I promise I'll do what I can for those girls he hurt though. Gajeel's nest is good at cover ups. They can help."

Lucy nodded, wrapping her arms around herself, "Just... don't do anything to make Erza have to come after you alright?"

Natsu nodded, "Gajeel's here." He told her quietly, "He's outside with Levy. Would you go get him for me?"

He didn't want her to see what he was about to do. And judging by the way she nodded and ran off she wasn't comfortable staying any longer either.

Natsu turned his icy glare into Bora and tilted his head towards him, "I think I have just the right kind of punishment for you and your friends. Something worse than death as Lucy demands."

By the time Gajeel got to the back room, Natsu was brushing his hands off, his eyes narrowed with anger and jaw locked to grind past his fury.

Gajeel took a peek into the room, seeing all three men staring listlessly ahead, unresponsive save the occasional blink. Bora's hands were spread over photos Natsu had dug out, each one a trophy from his victims.

"Took their souls but not their lives?" Gajeel growled quietly to Natsu. The demon just nodded back.

"A fate worse than death, and closure for the families," he said regretfully.

It was the best he could do.

* * *

 ** _And that's the chapter! Quite a ride huh? And things will only speed up from here. A special thanks to everyone who reviewed as always! You guys are awesome, and we live for your reviews! I hope everyone enjoys their well earned previews, and we'll see you Sunday!_**

 _"Ready to try it for yourself?" Natsu grinned at her from where he had rolled her gently into a flip. He was definitely a hands on learner._

 _Lucy felt her cheeks heat a little as she grinned back up at him. She was ready to try the flip, but she didn't much mind where she was at the moment either._

 _She'd been twitchy immediately after the club incident, practically clinging to Natsu for the first couple of days especially, but as she'd practiced her magic and begun her training her confidence had grown. Maybe she wasn't the strongest mage around yet, but she was certain that no low level demon, or human for that matter, could get the drop on her again. Which was more than enough for her peace of mind._

 _And with that peace had come a reminder of what else had been going on at the club that night._

 _Natsu had been an absolute gentleman with her since then. He hadn't been able to hide his desire for her of course. The look in his eyes, and the evidence in his pants, was more than enough to tell her he was restraining himself. But not once had he pushed._

Her demon was waiting for her to let him know it was okay. And she thought maybe he'd waited long enough.


	9. The Festival of the Lanterns

_**IMPORTANT PLEASE READ**_ : **This chapter earns its M-rating. It contains lemon. If you don't want to read it, please watch for the purity marks "####" and skip ahead!**

* * *

 **CHAPTER 9**

 **The Festival of the Lanterns**

 **** _The Festival of the Dead in Japan, which is called _Obon_ , is held every year in the month of August. The festival often goes by a second name: The Festival of Lanterns. As in the traditional festival of Halloween, the souls of the departed return to the world of the living during this time. However, unlike Halloween, in which the souls of the dead are often imagined as malevolent or angry, like the Headless Horseman, _Obon_ is a day when the spirits return to visit their relatives. _

* * *

Going back to Lucy's home wasn't as fun as going to the club had been. The knowledge the incubus was off the streets was small consolation for what he'd tried to do to Lucy.

Natsu frowned as she tossed her heels off and unfastened her earrings, a tired set to her shoulders. He exchanged a worried look with Levy at Lucy's mumbled "goodnight" before he hurried up after her.

Waiting just long enough for her to get washed up and ready for bed, Natsu crept into her room to give her a sympathetic frown, "Hey. You okay?"

Lucy looked up at him in surprise, and his heart broke to see tears shimmering in her eyes and fear pinching her face. She stared at him for a moment and shook her head, the tears spilling silently down her cheeks.

He crossed the room in three steps and wrapped his arms around her just as a ragged sob tore loose, "I'm sorry Lucy." He murmured into her hair, "I'm so sorry."

She shook her head against his chest, but now that the sobs had started they would not stop enough for her to do anything but cling to him. He growled soothingly at her and guided her gently to the bed where they could curl up. It pained him to hear her tears, but he knew she needed this. Only once it was off her chest could she move past it.

How long they sat like that he couldn't have said. He just rocked her back and forth tenderly, rubbing her back and murmuring soothing words, until her sobs petered out.

"Feeling a little better?" He asked softly, hastily reaching over to grab a couple of tissues from her bedside stand.

"I didn't even realize." She murmured roughly, "Not until it was too late and they'd grabbed me. I thought... I was annoyed they'd interrupted our game. I couldn't tell he was a demon. And even if I had I couldn't fight him."

Natsu ran a gentle hand over her hair, "Then we'll find a way for you to learn." He replied with a small smile, "We'll work harder on molding your magic into something useable, and I'll teach you every dirty trick in the book."

"I know a lot of 'em," He grinned at her and held her close. He hadn't had time to think of the implication of why Lucy hadn't fallen to the incubus' charms, but he didn't want to think about it right now.

No he wanted to think about Lucy right now and helping her out however he could.

"Do you want me to stay with you tonight?" He asked her, pressing a nose into her neck while she fought past a smile.

"Please?" Lucy asked, hating how vulnerable she felt but knowing she would feel safer with Natsu by her side.

"Absolutely," Natsu growled to her, settling himself down against her side. He moved on top of the blankets, not wanting her to get too hot if he cuddled under them with her.

However she opened the blanket to him and after a brief moment of surprise Natsu slipped under to join her. His arms wrapped around her waist to pull her in close. He growled to soothe her trembles and hiccups, his free hand smoothing over her hair as she closed her eyes.

If he could fight away all her enemies he could, but against this one he was powerless to do anything but support her.

Whatever his strange relationship with Lucy was, she had worked an unusual magic on his heart. When she cried he felt like crying, when she hurt so did he. And ultimately when she smiled he thought the world was brighter.

He would do anything to make her smile again.

-::-

That night, despite her upset, Lucy dreamed.

 _She found herself walking in a in a purple field filled with the strangest looking flowers she'd ever seen while overhead countless stars, and even planets, twinkled brightly at her._

 _"Good. You're here." She turned in surprise to find herself staring at a smiling young man with a wild mane of orange hair and a pair of equally orange cat ears, "I was a little worried you'd be too upset to hear my call."_

 _"Your call?" Lucy asked in confusion, "I don't understand. Who are you?"_

 _"My name is Leo." The man replied, his smile never faltering, "Though some call me Loke."_

 _"Leo? As in the zodiac constellation?"_

 _Leo nodded, "I'm a celestial spirit. A being of pure holy energy. In some ways very similar to your demon friend. I lead the zodiac."_

 _Lucy stared at him in wonder, "But... why have you called me here? Have I done something wrong?"_

 _"Not at all Lucy." Leo chuckled and cocked his head at her, "I called you to this place because I want to help you." He led her over to a small pool and waved his hand over it, bringing up an image of Lucy's mother, "I'm not certain if you remember, but your mother Layla revered the heavens."_

 _Lucy smiled wistfully, "I remember. Mama used to tell me stories about the stars."_

 _Leo nodded, "What she didn't tell you was they were true. She possessed no magic like you, but she was a strong willed woman all the same. Strong enough to pierce the heavens and save this old cat's life." He stood and looked at her, "I swore to her that I would do my best to watch over you, but now that your magic has manifested I can do much more."_

 _He held out a keyring glittering with golden keys, all different, "These are for you if you'll accept them."_

 _"What... are they?" Lucy asked curiously._

 _"Zodiac keys." Leo answered, "Each one tuned to one of the zodiacs." He smiled, "With them you can call on us to help protect you against any threats, demonic or otherwise."_

 _Lucy's eyes widened as she reached out and took the keys, "That's... a tremendous gift."_

 _Leo grinned and shoved his hands into his pockets, "Our debt of gratitude to your mother is just as great. We're all agreed on that. And we're confident that if anyone is worthy to command the heavens it's Layla's daughter."_

 _The world began to fade around her as she tried to stutter out a thank you until abruptly it shattered and she was falling._

Lucy gasped as she sat bolt upright in bed, inadvertently smacking Natsu in the face and waking him up.

"L'shy?" He mumbled in confusion, "Wha's wrong?" He froze as he caught a glint of gold in her lap, "Where did you get that?"

Lucy stared down at the keyring of twelve unique gold keys in disbelief, "I think... from my dreams."

Natsu blinked at the golden keys, trying to push past the sleep fogging his mind. He dropped his chin on Lucy's shoulder and wrapped his arm around her, "lemme see."

His voice was heavy from sleep, rough like his disheveled hair. Without waiting for explanation or permission, Natsu snagged the key ring from Lucy with an index finger.

Jolting to a deeper sense of awareness, Natsu gaped at the keys and held them up to her bedside window for more light, "Shit! Lucy these are Zodiac keys!" He breathed, awed to even see such rare artifacts, "Lucy this is an extremely rare and powerful kind of magic yours took on."

Lucy glanced at the golden keys dangling from his hand, and raised her eyebrows, waiting for an explanation.

"The zodiac are the closest things to angels in the world," Natsu murmured to her, "This is giving you the power of the heavens themselves. There is hardly any magic more pure than this kind. It requires you to channel the spirit from the stars to fight at your side."

"And they gave you their keys, they want a contract with you," Natsu stared at them, "They're kind of similar to demons, except on the other side of the coin."

"I think Leo- Loke mentioned that to me," Lucy blinked, "They require contracts too? The same like yours?"

"No, it's just an actual contract to outline their services for you," Natsu smiled at her, "But like demons, they can't lie. Which means you can never lie either. As a Celestial mage, your word-"

He let out a jaw cracking yawn, "-is binding."

"You'll lose your spirits if you lie in contradiction to your contracts," Natsu passed the ring back to her.

Lucy considered that for a moment, "I guess it's a good thing I make a point of keeping my word huh?" She glanced at the clock and grimaced at the glaring 3am, "I'll worry more about it tomorrow."

She set the keys on her bedside table, and slid back under the covers. Natsu grinned at her as he settled back down beside her and pulled her close, "'M proud of you Lucy." He mumbled sleepily into her hair, "You'll make a real strong mage."

He curled his hand around hers and pulled it up to gently brush his lips over her knuckles before curling himself protectively around her. Lucy smiled at the gesture, something in her melting into a pile of goo at the tenderness of it, and she relaxed back into his hold with a happy sigh as her eyes slid closed.

This time when she dreamed, she dreamed of a warm smile and a protective embrace.

-::-

Natsu watched with a smile as over the Thanksgiving holiday, a holiday he was determined to adopt for eternity, Lucy's spirits brightened as she worked with her new keys. Leo, or Loke he was sometimes called, was a vain cat, but he seemed to take Lucy's protection at least as seriously at Natsu himself did. Something the demon completely approved of. And the other spirits were just as interesting. Though he'd laughed himself silly over Lucy's accidental summoning of Aquarius.

The mermaid had proved to be extremely foul tempered, and had nearly drowned Lucy in the bath over the location of her summon. It hadn't lasted very long, thankfully, because of how little control Lucy had over her magic, but despite the exhausting near-death experience it incurred she was excited.

Even Jellal, whom Levy contacted after hearing the news, offered some insight to the magic she would be using. It turned out he had a similar kind that asserted itself in a more active sense. Although he had also encouraged Lucy to tell him as her magic grew and her talent for channeling her spirits blossomed, there was a good chance she would be able to form a more active blend of her magic.

In the meantime, Natsu was expanding on the foundation of hand to hand she already had from Erza. He had a more aggressive stance on fighting to be certain, but he was an excellent teacher and worked with Lucy's style.

Which was how she currently found herself out in the yard, flat on her back, and staring into her favorite demon's eyes on a surprisingly mild December afternoon.

"Ready to try it for yourself?" Natsu grinned at her from where he had rolled her gently into a flip. He was definitely a hands on learner.

Lucy felt her cheeks heat a little as she grinned back up at him. She was ready to try the flip, but she didn't much mind where she was at the moment either.

She'd been twitchy immediately after the club incident, practically clinging to Natsu for the first couple of days especially, but as she'd practiced her magic and begun her training her confidence had grown. Maybe she wasn't the strongest mage around yet, but she was certain that no low level demon, or human for that matter, could get the drop on her again. Which was more than enough for her peace of mind.

And with that peace had come a reminder of what else had been going on at the club that night.

Natsu had been an absolute gentleman with her since then. He hadn't been able to hide his desire for her of course. The look in his eyes, and the evidence in his pants, was more than enough to tell her he was restraining himself. But not once had he pushed.

Her demon was waiting for her to let him know it was okay. And she thought maybe he'd waited long enough.

"Hmmm... yes." She replied and reached up to curl her arms around his neck and pull him closer, anticipation curling in her belly, "Though I'm fairly comfortable where I am too."

However, to her surprise, Natsu didn't take her up on her invitation.

Instead, he sobered a little and pulled back, "As happy as I am to hear that, there's something we've gotta talk about."

A little alarmed, Lucy sat up, "Is something wrong?"

Natsu blinked at her in surprise and hastily shook his head, "No way!" He replied hastily, and curled his hand around hers, "I just... I figured something out, and it's great news, but I'm not sure what you'll think of it."

Lucy cocked her head curiously, "What is it?"

Natsu took a deep breath, not certain how to respond, and decided to just plunge in, "I'm your bonded Lucy." He blurted, and tried not to facepalm at her blank look, "I'm..." He grumbled to himself as he tried to find the proper word, "I'm your partner. Your match in every way."

He groped for the words, and gave up, "I don't know the human word for this." He admitted in frustration, "Magic had the opportunity to bring us together when you summoned me. It was what you were desiring. Your lifelong partner. Me."

Belatedly he realized that sounded very full of himself but he had already committed the statement to the air and couldn't pull back the words. He just hoped Lucy wouldn't think he was crazier than she already no doubt thought he was.

Not that he did himself any favors on that front.

"My partner? How-, wait what? What're you talking about Natsu?" Lucy blinked at him and sat up. Natsu reflected it across from her, sighing heavily.

He was absolute crap at talking. Galvanizing troops into battle was completely different from lifting moral and public speaking, with his crude way of talking, it was something he struggled with.

There were reasons why it took him so long to form alliances with other races. His stupid, incoherent mouth was one of them.

"Bonded are rare connections that happen once in millennia sometimes. They only happen when magic is involved, and two souls match one another perfectly. Like two parts of a whole being dragged back together again," Natsu frowned, stumbling over his explanation.

"They connect to one another, either through friendship or partnership by their similarities," Natsu frowned, "They're rare. So rare I've never seen it happen before. I've never even met anyone who had that connection."

"Soulmates?" Lucy asked, her voice lifting and curious as she tried to clarify what Natsu was telling her.

Natsu cocked his head curiously at the word, and took her hand in his, "It means your wish - your desire - was to fill a void that was always following you. Carved away by loss and people who wanted nothing more than to use and take from you."

"For the first time in centuries I feel like that emptiness I've had is filled," Natsu mumbled, suddenly losing his confidence and glancing away, "I have a partner in you."

Lucy stared at Natsu in shock, hardly able to believe what she was hearing. That was the very definition of soulmates if she'd ever heard it. And she and Natsu were soulmates? Her knee-jerk reaction was to scoff at the idea. Soulmates didn't exist. And why would they exist across species anyway? The very idea was ridiculous. And yet...

And yet she couldn't help thinking about how her life had been since the demon dropped into it.

Club incidents aside, she couldn't remember a time she'd been happier.

Natsu had come crashing into her life, turning it upside down, and driving her up the wall with his flirty comments and pranks. He'd pushed boundaries, or obliterated them altogether. He'd fought with, and for, her. He'd protected her, and in his odd demonic way he'd showed her how much he cared by teaching her how to fight and chasing her nightmares away.

It was ridiculous, and insane, and even dangerous... but she couldn't imagine her life without the demon in it now. The very thought was awful.

And there was no denying the chemistry between them. She'd been hot for him practically since the moment she'd summoned him, and he hadn't hesitated to demonstrate his interest at every opportunity. Maybe the idea wasn't quite as far-fetched as it sounded. It was crazy, but when had her life been sane lately? Her best friend was a pixie princess who had started dating an iron dragon, and she was in love with a demon.

The moment the thought entered her head it filled her heart, warming it with a joy that couldn't be spoken, only expressed. It thumped eagerly against her ribs, and she couldn't bring herself to deny its fierce agreement with Natsu's words.

She eyed his turned head, and the slight downward droop of his shoulders, and reached out a hand to curl around his shoulder.

He jerked up in surprise, and turned back to look at her nervously, his vulnerability visible. She smiled at him and moved around to his front to straddle his lap and press her forehead against his.

"It's more fun when we're together." She murmured, sliding a hand down his arm to curl into his, "I've never believed in soulmates." She confessed, "I've never seen any evidence they exist. But I know it's more fun when we're together. And I don't want to lose you."

Natsu closed his eyes, knowing it was hard to wrap her head around. He suspected it was a foreign concept, not that he had much faith in it himself, but the evidence was hard to deny.

Her gentle words were comforting and he smiled when he leaned into her.

"Demons don't have lasting relationships. The closest we come to it are our allies in battle, sometimes the occasional friend," He grinned at her, "Everyone magical knows the signs of bonded pairs, but there has never been a demon before much less with a human."

"I wouldn't have believed it myself even knowing the connection I feel with you," His smile fell off, "The only telling sign was the Incubus that attacked you."

"That slimeball?" Luv asked, shivering with disgust, "What about him?"

Natsu shook his head, "It's impossible for humans to resist an incubus. It's impossible for many species besides demons once they're caught in their eyes."

He breathed in Lucy's scent, "what you did was impossible."

Lucy stared at him wide eyed, "I... but... it's really impossible? But the only time I felt anything was the second time he stared at me? It felt like there was something creepy in my head. I thought..."

She shook her head, a little stunned at the revelation, "I... had no idea."

And that, in and of itself, was a pretty compelling argument that Natsu wasn't mistaken. She smiled at him and sat back a little, "So what are these other signs 'everyone' knows?"

He grinned impishly at her, "Oh you know..." He purred, curling his arms around her waist, "The usual. Rapid attraction. Defending the other. Protecting the other." He smirked, "Insatiable lust."

"You mean that's not your normal state of being?" Lucy teased and he ran his hands over her thighs.

"Not anymore." He growled hotly, "You're the only one I burn for Luce."

Lucy shivered at his tone and leaned in close, "You burn only for me?" She breathed against his lips, and he nodded, "Show me."

She crashed their lips together in a kiss that startled a squeak of surprise out of him, but he quickly returned and then dominated. Lucy moaned under the onslaught of lips and teeth, unprepared for the taste of cinnamon and fire and the answering heat it stirred in her. He was sin itself, and she could feel his magic caressing hers, entwining with it in a way that tore a pleasured sob from her throat.

She broke away with a gasp, her chest heaving and her heart pounding as she tried to process the intensity of that kiss. She didn't have to guess to know she was flushed and was pleased to see he didn't look much better.

"Lucy..." Natsu growled thickly, and Lucy tingled at the sound. His hands slid upwards, under her shirt, and she shivered at the feel of them on her skin, almost unbearably hot and wonderful at the same time.

However, a thought struck her and she pulled away with a teasing twist of her lips, ignoring his protest as she stood, "We never finished our game." She told him thickly, already well aware she was more than ready for him, "A taste of my soul if your magic can make me scream for you."

Natsu's eyes glimmered like coals burning in a hearth over her challenge. He slowly rose, pressing into her space to back her up. Natsu's tongue ran over his teeth and lips, promising everything with just that motion alone.

Lucy's followed the motion, her heart hammering in her chest hard enough to make a stutter to her breath. His nose dragged against her throat and he sighed quietly.

"Ten seconds," He growled in warning. Immediately Lucy understood what he meant. He would hunt her down and do precisely what she wanted, but he was too impatient for the five minute head start like last time.

Not that she particularly blamed him, no. Even ten seconds seemed too long in her book, but the idea of her predatory demon hunting after her was enough to spark a flame in her that spread throughout her nerves.

Seeing that Lucy understood, Natsu stepped away only a fraction just to give her enough room to move. The rumble echoed deep from his chest, spilling between them like a physical caress. She whimpered, not knowing how far she would be able to run in this game of theirs, and her heart pounding in anticipation.

He didn't give her much room to think, because the next word he spoke made everything push into motion.

"Go."

Lucy went.

Without even thinking she surged into motion, sprinting away from him with a sharp edged thrill of excitement. Hunted. She was being hunted by a demon. And suddenly all her survival instincts went into overdrive as she poured on more speed.

A wild laugh escaped her as she reached the back door, and tore through it, startling Levy and Gray from where they were sitting at the kitchen table.

"Lucy what're you-?" Gray started, but she ignored him as she spotted Natsu's form coming up the hill, and a wide grin split her face as she rushed to escape upstairs.

"Bad move Lucy." Natsu growled moments later as he followed her inside, and Lucy had to stifle another giggle, "Not as many places to go here."

"Who said I'm trying to hide?" She laughed, a little drunk on the excitement and poked her head around the corner with a grin, "Maybe I'm leading you."

She tore back up the stairs as Natsu zeroed in on her and ran after her. Both utterly ignored the stunned occupants of the table.

She pushed through her bedroom door only to pause in surprise at the sight of Natsu already waiting for her, "Hey, now that's cheating!"

He grinned back at her as he stalked forward, "I'm a demon." He purred, "And you never said I couldn't use my magic in the hunt."

Fiery tendrils filled the room and some wrapped gently around her and pulled her forward, while others closed and locked the door, "Now for my prize." He growled eagerly.

####

Lucy shivered at the tendrils slithered under her clothes the way they had on the dance floor and began stripping her bare, leaving her exposed to his hungry gaze for the first time.

Natsu settled down on the edge of the bed, his magic lifting Lucy through the air before him. He drank in the sight of her flushed body but reclined back to watch her fully.

"Last chance to back out of this Lucy," He purred, his magic trickling between her legs. It was just a trickle, enough to encourage but not satisfy. Lucy let out a small thrash and he flexed his magic in response, "If you accept your desire, for me to grant your wish, you'll be stuck with me. This is magic that cannot be reversed."

"You'll be my queen, you'll have me, my war, and my demons," Natsu growled, the fire twisting up between her breasts. It thrummed in time to his pounding heart, coiling between her legs and making a low keen burst from her throat, "My flames will be yours for an eternity."

"I can think of worse things," Lucy teased, breathless over his caresses, "I know what I'm signing up for, and I'm not changing my mind."

At that somewhat cheeky response, Natsu's magic flared up in a wave. Heat, both gentle but felt burst from him. His eyes glowed with leashed power and it focused in on Lucy.

"Then it's yours," Natsu purred.

At once Lucy felt something she couldn't describe. A rush of heat poured through her very being, lighting her up from the inside to burn her from within. Natsu poured his magic into Lucy, braiding tightly with her own power.

Body jerking in pleasure, her throat caught in a sob of pleasure. She felt his magic consume her whole, like he filled an empty vessel within her and his power overflowed the brim .It was like the very sun was within her, breaking her down at the seams and knitting her together again. Her core tightened, tears prickling at her eyes and spilling over her cheeks.

"Natsu..." She choked, the sensation of his magic burning through her almost painful in its intensity. It overwhelmed her senses and she struggled just to breathe through it.

"Easy Lucy." Natsu purred, curling his fire up between her legs to slither against her heated core, pulling a loud cry of pleasure from her, "That's it Lucy..." He rumbled, his breath catching at both the sight of her and the feel of her magic coursing through him.

It wasn't the same he knew. As a mortal, his magic had more to do to her. But the sparkling light of her own magic was intoxicating, as much as her soul had been, and he groaned as he could practically feel her pleasure shivering through it.

"Natsu please..." Lucy sobbed, "I need..."

She wasn't sure what she needed. Everything was too much. A frenzy of heat and pleasure and pain as her very breath was pulled from her. A moment later she felt a hot mouth crash against hers as strong arms wrapped around her and pulled her close. A fresh cry filled the room as hot lips trailed down her throat only to turn into a scream as equally hot fingers buried themselves in her and pressed against her clit.

Waves of ecstasy tore through her as he gently rubbed her, only to start anew when he latched his lips on her pulse and sucked gently.

Natsu grunted, feeling pinpricks of light shooting behind his eyelids. Her soul practically spilled out with its airy spirit. He could taste her in his tongue, filling every dark shadow within his being with light. Her pleasure coated it a rosy shade, mouthwatering and sweet. He could taste the ecstasy pounding through her and his pupils dilated with desire.

Just a taste and his body felt coiled and tight, not quite ever satiated in its hunger for her but filling. He ran his tongue across her glittering soul, sampling her taste as his hand made agonizing pumps into her clenching heat.

He could feel Lucy desperately clawing at his back, his clothes feeling too confined and itchy for his tastes. Natsu pulled his hand from Lucy's aching core for a moment, pulling a desperate moan from his witch. He purred soothingly to her, making quick work of his shirt before returning to her.

Lucy clutched herself to him, body straining against his caressing magic. The desperate light in her eyes was enough for his own mind to become caught in her spell. Unable to help himself, he leaned in to taste her once more.

It proved too much as Lucy let loose a scream of pleasure and her body seized up against his hand. Lucy flooded against his hand, her muscles clenching down on his fingers while Natsu's hand clenched the back of her head tightly.

He was awash in her pleasure, feeling sparks shoot through his nerves and ignite him in ways he had never felt before. Hers was like a drug to him and his body pulsed in the beginnings of his own unraveling.

Unwilling to end it so soon, he rolled her over on the bed, enjoying the flushed and glazed look on her face for a moment before pulling away. He chuckled softly at her whine of protest and shook his head.

"Give me a sec Luce." He growled roughly as he hastily pulled off his belt and pants, sighing softly in relief as he was freed. He watched as her eyes tracked directly to his groin, and grinned as she spread her legs invitingly and reached out for him.

He crawled back over her and pulled her into a hungry kiss, "Does my witch queen want something?" He rumbled teasingly.

"Natsu..." She moaned half in protest half in entreaty and his grin widened as he curled her legs around his waist.

"Your wish is my command Lucy." He breathed into her ear and slowly sank into her.

His vision nearly went white at the feel of her wrapping tightly around him, caressing every inch as he buried himself deeper. He peppered her face and collar with kisses as he moved, mindful that it had been some months since she'd done this, and came to a halt once he was buried to the hilt.

"Lucy..." He moaned, panting harshly, desperately trying to wait for her to adjust, "My Lucy."

She rocked against him and in an instant any sense of control shattered. He growled darkly as he grabbed her hips and began to move, the motion driving every coherent thought from his head. She filled his senses, and the only thought on his mind was her sweet heat and making her scream again.

He growled incoherently, fire erupting all over his body as he quickened his pace, unable to hold back any longer. He grunted with approval as she rose to meet him, and buried his face in her neck to lap at her soul once more. The sparkling sensation proved one too many as he pounded into her, and the tightly wound coil in his belly snapped just as he heard her scream for him.

At once he felt a rush of his magic snap against Lucy's, a blinding shot of pleasure bursting through his senses as a second shockwave pulsed through him.

It forced him to drop almost completely down, taking him by surprise and sending a tremble through his arms as he fought to keep himself up to prevent himself from crushing Lucy. His human let out a keen at the sensation, having been just as affected at him.

She let out a ragged breath, her body pulsing around him in a dizzying way as they slowly came down from their highs.

####

A trickle of sweat swept down the back of Natsu's neck as he realized the pulse of his magic that settled between them was Lucy's wish being fulfilled.

He was hers.

She was his.

Their magic, while once was separate, had become so tightly meshed it was impossible to separate.

Natsu groaned as he slowly pulled himself from Lucy to roll by her side. He wrapped an arm around her, pulling his hand along her body to ensure he hadn't been too rough with her.

Cautiously he felt along her soul, somewhat surprised by how little he had taken. There was no difference now than there had been when they started. Had it really had that much of an effect on him?

It really only _was_ a taste.

He pressed his nose behind her ear and while he waited for her to regain her wits, he focused on feeling their joined magics. While they were impossible to separate, they were still distinct. His fire and her light braided together beautifully, melded together at the seam.

"I love you." Lucy murmured as she slowly opened her eyes and smiled sleepily at him.

Natsu grinned back at her, his heart thumping a little at the declaration. Sure it was obvious. They were bonded after all. But it still felt good to hear the words.

"I love you too." He growled and leaned over to kiss her lightly, "Are you alright?"

Lucy giggled a little and nodded, "Perfect." She snuggled up to him, "I've _never_ been made love to so thoroughly."

Natsu laughed a little at the way she was practically purring her contentment and kissed her forehead, "You'll never want for it again." He promised, and felt it pulse through their magic, making them both shiver a little.

A small, petty, part of him was darkly smug that he'd done what that bastard slayer hadn't been able to for Lucy, but it quickly vanished under the weight of more important things. Like curling up with his bonded and enjoying the sensation of her naked body pressed against his as they drifted off for a nap.

Anything else could wait.

* * *

 **Mslead here! You guys just squeaked through for your preview! Good job guys, hope you all enjoy it :) Wild Aces and surprise, surprise, What's a Witch is actually up too! Let us know what you think! We'll see you on Wednesday!**

* * *

 _"If I had to hazard a guess, I'd say the bastard is getting ready for his next move now that you're supposed to be available again." Gray scowled._

 _Natsu swore violently and Lucy lifted her chin, "Well Zeref can't have him." She replied sternly, "My wish was for Natsu himself, and that can't be broken."_

 _"Maybe not." Gray replied, "But we can't ignore this either Lucy. Zeref's the demon king. The most powerful demon in existence. If he's planning something then it's gonna be bad news for all of us. Especially you."_

 _Which was likely what had Natsu so worried._

 _A surge of indignation rose up in her. She'd finally found her happiness and this was what was hanging over their heads? Not a chance._

 _"I'm not saying we ignore it." She replied, a hint of steel entering her tone, "I'm saying we end it once and for all."_


	10. The Awuru Odo Festival

**Heeeeey everyone! Mslead here to bring you your Wednesday update! Two chapters left after this one! We're in the home stretch people!**

* * *

 **CHAPTER 10**

 ** _The Awuru Odo Festival_**

 _The Awuru Odo Festival marks the return of dearly departed friends and family members back to the living. Lasting up to six months, the holiday is celebrated with feasts, music, and masks before the dead return to the spirit world. Although the Odo Festival is an important ritual, it happens once every two years, when it is believed the spirits will return to Earth._

* * *

Days after the bonding, Natsu was immersed in a conversation with Mirajane concerning moving a supply line through an old decommissioned base when he was joined by his bonded. Coffee mug in hand, his attention went elsewhere at once. The demoness gave him a wry smile through the dark surface when it became clear her prince's attention went off the rails at the sight of Lucy pouring herself a cup of coffee.

"Shall we pick this up at another time m'lord?" Mirajane mused.

"Yes Mira, fifty crates to the village should be fine," Natsu said somewhat dreamily as his eyes refused to budge off his giggling beloved.

"Right then, I can tell when I've lost my audience," Mira laughed, "You two are so cute! I can't wait to tell Lisanna!"

"Huh?" Natsu asked his coffee cup, blinking when it was suddenly empty. He made a distinct sound of outrage and looked at Lucy accusingly, "You distracted me and she hung up!"

"Poor mighty demon," Lucy laughed and put her lower lip out to him, "So sad for you."

"You mock me little witch," Natsu purred at her, amused by her sass. He took a sip of his coffee and got up to join her by the sink. His hand drifted down across the slope of her back and down the curve of her hip, "However shall I lead my people with a temptress turning my head?"

"I'm fairly sure your people will survive." Lucy teased back, arching her hip into his hand, "They'll just have to get used to their prince being a perv."

"Ah, but Lucy..." Natsu growled wrapping his arms around her and nipping at her ear, "You _like_ my pervy ways."

"Ugh, I think I'm gonna be sick."

The distracted couple looked up to find Gray standing at the back door with a strange woman neither of them had met before.

"Ah! But Juvia thinks it's romantic!" The woman sighed dreamily, "Always holding his beloved close and wanting to be by her side!"

Gray shot her a slightly alarmed look as Lucy cocked her head slightly, "Not that I'm upset you came by or anything, but I thought everyone had decided to give me and Natsu some space?" She shook her head a little and looked at the woman, "Ah, but I'm being rude. My name is Lucy. You're a friend of Gray's?"

The blue woman curtsied with a small smile, "And I'm called Juvia." She replied, "It's an honor to meet you Princess Lucy."

Lucy flushed in embarrassment at the title, not at all used to being called that, and grinned, "The pleasure's mine. Really. Do come in."

Gray held the door for Juvia, "Juvia's a water sprite." He supplied, "I met her a few weeks before..." He trailed off uncertain how to proceed and Lucy rolled her eyes.

"Before we broke up?" She drawled, "It's okay to say it you know. I'm happy with how things turned out." She glanced at Juvia, "So are you guys dating now or something?"

"No!" Gray exclaimed at the same moment Juvia beamed, "Yes!"

Gray gave Juvia a flat look, exasperated by how the water spirit seemed steadfast in her declaration.

Lucy twitched as Natsu snorted a laugh into her neck and fought to keep her smile down, "I... see." She managed around her mirth, "So... what brings you both here this morning then?"

Gray sobered and gave the pair a hard look, "Juvia's been hearing things." He told them grimly, "Rumors about the Zeref and the other demons being restless."

"Is that so?" Natsu jerked his head upright at their report. Lucy watched him somewhat nervously and he bent down towards her.

"Is he on the move?" Natsu asked, his grip around Lucy tightening by the degree. Lucy could tell he was worried. There was some difficulty wrapping her mind around him being concerned about anything.

Natsu seemed to handle all sorts of stressful situations with a smile on his face. To see something pull him up short made her more anxious than she liked to admit.

Out of all their encounters she had seen Natsu get furious, happy, excited and a full range of emotion on other fronts. But she thought here he might have been a little afraid. He had never shown fear when they spoke about Zeref before. She wondered what changed.

His grip on her was firm, and it brought startling clarity to his inner thoughts.

Her.

She was the change.

"I wish I could tell you for sure Lord Natsu." Juvia replied regretfully, her demeanor sobering from the chirpier one from before, "All I know is what I've heard. There's been rumors that your contract is fulfilled, and Zeref is planning his next move, but no one knows what it is."

"If I had to hazard a guess, I'd say the bastard is getting ready for his next move now that you're supposed to be available again." Gray scowled.

Natsu swore violently and Lucy lifted her chin, "Well Zeref can't have him." She replied sternly, "My wish was for Natsu himself, and that can't be broken."

"Maybe not." Gray replied, "But we can't ignore this either Lucy. Zeref's the demon king. The most powerful demon in existence. If he's planning something then it's gonna be bad news for all of us. Especially you."

Which was likely what had Natsu so worried.

A surge of indignation rose up in her. She'd finally found her happiness and _this_ was what was hanging over their heads? Not a chance.

"I'm not saying we ignore it." She replied, a hint of steel entering her tone, "I'm saying we end it once and for all."

"Are you crazy?" Gray exclaimed, "Do you have any idea what you're proposing? Going after Zeref would mean not only dealing with him, but all of Tartaros as well! That's suicide!"

"Is it?" Lucy demanded fiercely, "Because ever since Natsu got here I've heard nothing but how he's been trying to cultivate allies. Demons, dragons, fae, even humans. So when do we stop cultivating and start doing? If we can lure Zeref out of hiding and lay a trap for him, then we might stand a chance!"

Julia looked between the surprised looking men and sighed, "Princess Lucy is right."

Natsu looked over at her to encourage her to continue, he settled down at the table nodding for her to elaborate. He would certainly hear Lucy's suggestion, but for a frontal assault on Zeref's army they would be absolutely crushed before they got past breaching the front gates. He couldn't risk his allies or troops without excellent reason.

"There aren't many places we could attack, Zeref has been in power for so long that even if we got the boots on the ground one of his elite forces could easily crush the advantage we obtained through numbers," Juvia glanced at Lucy, "The point is you have the advantage through diversity. Zeref only employs demons in his army."

"The dragons by themselves are difficult to kill, and my beloved Gray is a demonslayer," Julia continued, ignoring Grays grunted 'hey!'

"You both are suggesting that we take his elite down with ours," Natsu raised an eyebrow at the two women, "go blow for blow and see who comes out on top?"

"An all out war won't win right?" Lucy asked him, "and the demons will fall into line if you beat Zeref one on one, right?"

Natsu tilted his head, listening to what she had to say. He nodded slowly, "we respect power ultimately. That's the way of our people."

Lucy nodded, "Then what we need to do is give you the chance to demonstrate your power, and the power of your friends, is superior to Zeref's. We don't even necessarily have to beat the others. Just keep them distracted and held at bay until you can win your fight."

Natsu frowned thoughtfully, "That's easier said than done Luce. The Etherious are all fanatically loyal to my brother. They sure as hell won't want to change the status quo. Some of them might accept my authority, but we'd be forever watching for plots to bring Zeref back."

"If they give us no quarter then they won't receive any." Lucy replied, "I hate the idea of fighting, and I like the idea of killing even less, but I'm not about to let a bunch of warmongering demons destroy my life, and yours, because they're unable to accept change."

She looked at Juvia, "Now, there's a human saying... old age and treachery will beat youth and enthusiasm every time." She grinned, "I may not be very old by demon or fae standards, but I'm sure there's a few tricks _you've_ learned over your lifetime right?"

Juvia nodded hesitantly, uncertain where Lucy was going with that, and Lucy flashed her bonded an evil grin, "How many other tricks would you, Jellal, Gajeel and the others all know?" She asked, "Or better yet... what would happen if you ran them by Erza? That woman can quote Sun Tzu. If Zeref has so much of an advantage then that, in and of itself, is a weakness."

Natsu's face lit up in an answering grin, "He's arrogant." He breathed, suddenly seeing what his bonded was getting at, "He won't be expecting an attack because he doesn't think any can be effectively mounted against him since none has worked before. But why would he expect _human_ tactics when we've gone out of our way to keep them out of the war?"

"Exactly!" Lucy replied, "So, if we can find a way to lure him into territory that favors us, with tactics he's not expecting..."

Natsu rose, his palms pressing flat against the surface of the table. Lucy looked at him, believing he looked very much like the royal she knew he was but had never seen.

"Then it's time to attack Zeref now. He's planning something and if we can undermine whatever he's going after before he advances then it's better for us," Natsu growled, "If there's something Zeref wants, then I want it more."

"I'll let Gajeel know we will be moving," Natsu glanced at Lucy, his expression softening on her. She was brave, braver than any human had any reason to be.

But he would have to leave her, and soon by the looks of things. He couldn't lead his people into a fight if he wasn't there on the front lines.

At the moment, Lucy hadn't had enough training to fight on a battlefield. And neither was she in danger any longer. With her wish sealed, he could leave. At least for the time being, to fight and make his world safe for her.

"Lucy, I'll do as much as I can here, but if there's going to be a fight I have to be a part of it. The demons won't follow anyone else but me into battle," Natsu murmured to her.

Thankfully Juvia and Gray took that as a hint to depart. They backed away to give the couple some privacy, even if there was a weighted atmosphere between them.

Lucy sighed unhappily but nodded, "The downside of my plan." She replied, and reached out for him. He didn't hesitate to walk into her arms, and held her close as she gripped him tightly, "I wish I could fight with you."

Natsu didn't. He hated leaving her, but the thought of her going up against his brother, trained or not, left him nauseous. As much as the idea of having her at his side, and his back, appealed to him... not this time.

"Next time." He replied instead, "You just need more training first." He grinned, "You'll probably be able to kick my butt when you're done. The demonesses will love you."

Lucy offered him a wane smile, recognizing the attempt to cheer her up for what it was, "Thanks. I think."

He chuckled and kissed her deeply, savoring the taste of her lips, "I'll be back as soon as I can." He promised, "Once I have everything going I'll come back. We'll make this our headquarters."

Lucy nodded, "Bring Erza back with you." She grinned, "I need someone to spar with."

Natsu grinned against her lips and stroked his fingers through her hair, a light caress. His forehead pressed into hers, a gentle encouragement.

"I'm not leaving just yet," He purred, "I still have to make the arrangements with Gajeel and get a message to Jellal."

"You'll hardly miss me when I'm gone Lucy," He assured her, even though he didn't believe it himself. He already missed her terribly, hating the fact their goodbye was on the horizon. And who only knew for how many months. He would have to make sure she wasn't alone during that time.

As much as Levy wanted to return to her realm to assist Jellal, or how Erza was currently in the fae realm helping train some of the pixies, Natsu did not want to leave her to her own devices.

Not to mention even Gray was leaving. Much to everyone's surprise, he would be joining Natsu on the front. The relationship between him and Lucy since their breakup had mended, and now Natsu was truthfully reluctant to take another friend from her.

"Oh well... if you're not dashing out the door just _yet_..." Lucy smirked and curled a leg around his hip, "Then we have time for a proper goodbye."

Natsu smirked and leaned into her with an appreciative growl, "A proper goodbye huh? I've always been curious what those are like."

He leaned down to kissed her neck and then hoisted her up onto the counter, "Like... why does it have to be proper?"

Lucy shivered at she wrapped her legs around his hips and pulled him close, his hands already working to move clothing out of the way, "I'm pretty sure there's no right or wrong to this proper."

"Oh good." Natsu murmured as he leaned over to kiss her, "Proper sounds boring."

Lucy laughed as she curled her arms around his neck, "My incorrigible demon."

She lost all sense of coherency as he sucked lightly at her soul in retaliation, but there was one small part of her that was glad they had this. That they had time. Because what was coming up would surely be both difficult and dangerous.

She just prayed they made it through unscathed.

* * *

 _ **And that's it! Sorry guys, you just missed your cut off for your preview! 30 Reviews equals a Sneak! But fear not, we'll be back on Sunday to give you guys your update! See you then!**_


	11. Ognissanti

_**Mslead here! Please enjoy Chapter 11! No notes this time, please enjoy the chapter!**_

* * *

 **CHAPTER 11**

 _ **Ognissanti**_

 _All Saints' Day, November 1, is a national holiday in Italy. Better known as_ _Ognissanti, the festivities usually begin a couple of days before, when people begin leaving fresh flowers—generally chrysanthemums—on the graves of departed loved ones, as well as complete strangers, turning the country's cemeteries into a beautiful display of colors. Italians also pay tribute to the departed by putting a red candle in the window at sunset, and set a place at the table for those spirits they hope will pay a visit_

* * *

It turned out planning a war was a little more in depth than Lucy had thought originally. And she had not originally thought it was light by any means.

She also didn't realize just how lonely it would make her.

Her friends all were recruited for their various abilities, though thankfully she wasn't left completely alone. Erza came frequently from assisting Jellal to helping Lucy train. However she still had her job at the station, although Lucy suspected with as far as things seemed to be progressing between her and the fae king, soon she would be quitting.

Still, Erza was busy all the time, only able to carve out enough time to train with Lucy and let her know what was going on the battlefield. She also was able to give her enough of a heads up when Natsu would be returning.

It seemed her demon would lose focus on his tasks the longer he was away from her. Which didn't surprise Lucy any. After a visit with him, she felt more at peace with the world and happy. However the longer the weeks went on, the shorter Lucy's temper was and she became more irritable.

During those times she worked on a new story for her publisher. A book of twisted fairy tales with her somewhat haphazard adventures written out chronologically.

It helped to keep her company during the days and nights she missed Natsu.

Levy had to move back to the fae kingdom. She had a certain eye for tactics that Natsu enjoyed. She was able to pick out problems and find their solutions to make her a valuable asset. Her ability to write out power buffs for the dragons also made her indispensable during battle.

That didn't help Lucy any however.

She wandered through the house, restless and irritable, giving her notes only a passing glance as she wandered into the kitchen. She glanced out the window, giving the fall colors a small smile, and decided to make herself a mug of cider and go sit outside. If nothing else, the fresh air would do her good.

She went through the motions, thinking it was ironic that this time the year before she'd been hurting over her breakup with Gray, and trying to prove she didn't care by throwing a big Halloween party. This year she wasn't in the mood for a party of any kind. She just wanted Natsu back home with her for good.

She rubbed her hand over the keys she'd begun walking around with at all times, and wished she was stronger with them. She'd trained hard over the past year, and Loke kept insisting she was making excellent progress, but it still wasn't enough. Any opponent she had would have decades, if not centuries, of experience on her. And no one was willing to risk that on the battlefield.

She sighed a little as she picked up her mug and headed out into the crisp Halloween air. She paused to take a deep breath and sipped at her cider, wondering idly what she could do to fill her day. Maybe Capricorn would be willing to come help her with her training again?

Her musing was interrupted as a bitterly cold wind tore through her suddenly and she shivered. Maybe spending some time writing wasn't such a bad idea after all?

She shuddered at another gust and turned to go back inside only to pause as she was met by a man dressed in black with equally dark hair.

"Hello." He greeted with a smile that might've been pleasant if it hadn't sent chills up her spine, "You must be Lucy. I believe you've bonded with my brother?"

Lucy felt a chill at the mans cold words. There was a similarity in that smile that made her chest ache, but it lacked all of the familiar warmth that she loved. There was nothing in the smile of the man who could be no one but Zeref.

Deny it. Her body screamed at her, mind racing to try and think of a solution away from this madman. He didn't seem dangerous, but neither did Natsu with all his bright smiles.

Something instinctual told her the moment she engaged this man, she would die.

"Don't bother to deny it, I can feel my brothers magic so tightly bound to yours, it's a wonder I didn't notice it at first," Zeref answered as if reading her mind, taking a step towards the silent woman.

She noticed a burn on the man's face, shiny against his skin but already healing. He noticed her attention and only smiled wider, "Ah yes. A recent gift from my brother."

"I suppose I have you to thank for these sudden outbursts from him this past year. I was wondering why he was suddenly so bold to attack outright after all his little planning, but I didn't notice the signs until he gave me this," Zeref tapped his cheek.

"He's been very naughty, actually garnering quite a bit of support from the lesser demons. He might actually win this war," Zeref purred.

Lucy felt an utter chill of terror rush up her spine at the cold look in his eyes. Her body felt like stone when she saw red seeping into his iris, the rage that boiled in him spilling out like it did with Natsu at times

He was furious.

"Only he didn't account for you to be exploited. His greatest weakness, and he was foolish to leave you unprotected," Zeref purred.

"A bonded human, it's a miracle. I would like to see what caused such a thing to form. With you in my control, my brother will have no choice but to behave," he purred, "and I will be able to see just what makes you tick."

"I will not let you use me to hurt Natsu," Lucy snapped at him, "I would rather kill myself where I stand than let you dominate the demons and keep Natsu under your thumb."

Zeref observed as Lucy smashed the mug against one of her trees. Her heart hammered in her chest as she brought one of the broken pieces up to her neck.

He raised an eyebrow, impressed by her bravery.

"I can see why my brother likes you," he laughed quietly, "But you must not know much about Bonded."

"You are free to live and die as you like," Zeref laughed, taking steps towards Lucy fearlessly, "Should Natsu die in battle, you will be left with a hole in your heart so empty you could never hope to fill it."

"However if _you_ should die," Zeref smirked, "Then the war is mine. If Natsu were to somehow survive your bond breaking, he would succumb to a madness so violent his companions would have no choice but to put him in the ground."

He held his hand out to her, "Either way I win."

Lucy stared at him, her fingers pinched tightly around the shard, and a sick feeling writhing in her belly. That's what would happen if she died? She didn't want to believe it, but she knew he wasn't lying. Demons couldn't lie. Her death would destroy Natsu, and vice versa.

There was nothing she could do. She couldn't fight Zeref. Even if her instincts hadn't been screaming at her about it, she would've known that. Natsu was barely qualified to fight Zeref. And he was arguably the only one capable of the feat.

She couldn't kill herself either. Even if she was willing to sacrifice herself to save Natsu, she couldn't do this to him. She couldn't destroy him like that. Just the thought shattered her heart into a thousand pieces.

She glared at the smug looking bastard that had her beloved's smile, hating him with a strength she hadn't known she was capable of, and slowly lowered the shard and dropped it.

She refused to take his hand however.

She would not have anyone say, with even the vaguest semblance of truth, that she'd gone willingly with this slime.

"Don't think you've won here today Zeref." She snapped defiantly, "You should know Natsu doesn't know the meaning of the words 'give up', and neither do his allies. Taking me proves nothing except you're too much a coward to face him openly."

Zeref smiled at her, amused by her defiance but pleased she had submitted to his request.

"Perhaps I am, but this seems like the smoothest way to end the war in my favor, don't you agree?" He chuckled and opened a shadowy portal.

In a show of false kindness, he swept into a bow and extended his arm forward, "After you m'lady." He smiled sweetly.

Lucy scowled at him, and having no choice before her, stepped into the portal.

-::-

Meanwhile, across realms where the leaders of the races were gathered together, Natsu jerked violently in his seat.

He gasped, his fist closing on the fabric of his tunic, right over his heart. A jolt of panic shot through him like a bolt of electricity, making his knees weak and breath shake.

Something was wrong.

He didn't know what, but he knew it fully to the very core of his being just as much as he knew his own name.

He could feel Gajeel's hand on his shoulder, shaking him firmly, but Natsu's ears were ringing and he shoved the dragons hand off him.

Natsu forced himself to his feet and stumbled out of the tent, feeling suddenly too claustrophobic and confused to understand what was happening immediately.

What was wrong with him? His breathing slowed but his heart pounded in his ears. The sense that something was wrong only grew.

"-atsu!" A distant voice called over the pounding, and Natsu felt a new pair of hands drop onto his shoulders. He tried to swat them away, but they came right back.

"-atsu! You have to focus!"

Natsu growled and looked up to snarl at whoever was distracting him from figuring out what was wrong and found Jellal's worried face practically nose to nose with his.

"Focus Natsu." The Fae commanded, and Natsu felt his heart start to slow down again, "That's it."

"What's wrong with him?" Gajeel growled from one side, "I ain't never seen Salamander like this."

"I fear I know the answer to that." Jellal replied grimly, as he gestured for some fire to be brought over, "I've seen this before. It was more than three thousand years ago, during the Autumn War. The bonded pair Oberon and Titania fought in that war. At the end, Titania was taken by the enemy, and Oberon had a reaction much like this."

"You're sayin' Lucy's been taken?" Gajeel breathed in horror, and Jellal nodded, though he didn't take his eyes off the suddenly intensely focused Natsu.

"If Zeref took her, and damn us all for not considering he might, then no doubt he means to lure you back and exert his control over you by threatening her." He rose with Natsu as he stood.

"I gotta go rescue her." Natsu growled darkly, not really caring it was a trap, and Jellal put a restraining hand on him.

"Let us help you." He insisted, "Please. I would rather not have you or Lucy named for royal titles posthumously."

Natsu snarled in frustration as that feeling bubbled up again and he was forced to try and quell it by taking even breaths. He had to focus.

But his thoughts were being consumed by worries of Lucy and how badly he wanted to rip Zeref's head from his body.

He grabbed a handful of fire from the attendant and devoured it whole, letting the fire pulse in his core until he found enough of his inner peace.

"How did he find out," Natsu snarled, "We've been careful to keep her identity quiet!"

"It doesn't matter how now, only that we need to get her back," Gajeel insisted and took a deep breath, "okay, Natsu is going to need to act fast. So we have to get a plan together quickly."

"Trojan horse," Erza's familiar voice came up from behind them, the red head steely as she took purposeful steps towards them.

Jellal blinked at his love, unsure what she meant but grateful for her calm rational at a time like this.

"Natsu is unable to think properly right now, correct?" Erza supplied, "So it stands to reason that we should use that to our advantage."

"Basically," Natsu growled, murder in his eyes.

"Surrender yourself to those emotions Natsu," Erza said calmly, "That will be the only way you and we will be able to go in and save Lucy."

"I don't understand." Jellal admitted after a moment, his brow crinkled in confusion, "How does Natsu surrendering help?"

Erza's lips twitched into a small crooked smile, "That's because you're not thinking like a human." She met Natsu's gaze fearlessly, "fall to your instincts Natsu. Become our wrecking ball. Once you've cleared the way... we can follow behind and mop up."

Natsu's eyes blazed and he nodded, "You better be ready." He growled, his mingled demonic and draconic features coming out, "Cause I ain't stoppin'."

He crouched low as he focused on the point of hurt and confusion and _wrong_ in his chest. A wrongness caused by his brother. He reached for it with only two thoughts on his mind. Find Lucy and destroy his brother for threatening her.

In an instant his transformation was complete and an enraged demon-dragon roared his fury as a portal opened and he plunged through intent on laying waste to anyone who stood between him and his bonded.

When he emerged from the portal, he let loose a burst of flame, obscuring the view of the portal as his companions filed out. He had enough presence of mind to focus on that at least.

However it didn't leave him much in the way of options. He let loose a snarl as he advanced towards the gates. He was in his full transformation, a mighty dragon with all the features and tattoos of a demon spiraling over his scales.

He roared in fury, bursting open the gates like popping a bubble and surged through. He trampled the unsuspecting demons that stood in his way, tail swinging to get them out of his way.

He ignored his friends, who all used Rogue and Gajeel's unique ability of blending into the shadows to hide from enemy detection while he fought.

 _"ZEREF!"_ Natsu roared, his voice shaking the very brick to the castle before him, _"WHERE DO YOU HAVE HER!"_

Under normal circumstances, attacking the castle would have seriously injured or even slowed him down. The attack would not have been as simple as Natsu wrecking through the demons with the reckless abandon he was fighting with. However, he was being galvanized by something greater than his own magic and strength. A sparkle of light, one which flickered through his veins at the proximity of his bonded.

She was there. She was in trouble. That was all it told him.

It was enough.

* * *

 _ **Hey! Mslead here for your Sunday update! You guys made it for your sneak! Thank you so much for your turn out! Please let us know your thoughts on this chapter too! We have one more chapter left before we wrap up with the epilogue! It's been a lot of fun guys!**_

* * *

 _Lucy felt a fresh shiver of fear for Natsu as well as herself but she was careful not to show it on her face. Did demons have heightened senses like the dragons did? She wasn't sure, but she hoped not._

 _"Enough," Zeref said quietly, "once I have completed my tests on the woman to determine how the bindings work, Kyoka you can have your fun with her. It will be fascinating to see how deep the pain on her can afflict Natsu."_

 _"But for now let's get her somewhere safe. It won't take my brother long to realize she's been taken, and knowing him he will charge in here with a single minded focus."_

 _Lucy tried not to cringe as Zeref reached out to grab her arm only to gasp as an infuriated roar tore through the air, and the warmth she'd come to associate with Natsu coursed though her soothingly._

 _"Natsu!" She breathed with a grin, her relief palpable, and her eyes widened at the sight of the enormous dragon winging his way towards them, carving a swath of fire and destruction as he went._

 _ **"ZEREF!"** Natsu roared, his voice shaking the very brick to the castle before him, **"WHERE DO YOU HAVE HER!"**_


	12. Chusok

**Heya everyone! Kytrin here for Samhain update too! As I said over in the Wild Aces chapter, we're really sorry we didn't update yesterday. Nothing happened or anything, we just kinda talked about it and then got caught up in one of our current projects and promptly forgot. Oops. That said, I hope you all enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

 **CHAPTER 12**

 _ **Chusok**_

 _In Korea, the festival similar to Halloween is known as "Chusok." It is at this time that families thank their ancestors for the fruits of their labor. The family pays respect to these ancestors by visiting their tombs and making offerings of rice and fruits. The "Chusok" festival takes place in the month of August._

* * *

Lucy's trouble was just getting started.

The trip through the portal had not been like Natsu's shadow-stepping. Perhaps it was just the magic being used, but the trip through had left her disoriented and mildly nauseous. Which had not been improved in the slightest by the sight of several powerful demons staring coldly at her.

She raised her chin like the queen she was supposed to be and stared back while Zeref joined her, trying to ignore the aching fear in her heart. Weakness was the absolute last thing she could afford now, and she was not going to give Zeref, or any of these people, the satisfaction.

"Ah, Mard Geer." Zeref purred and one of the male demons immediately knelt at his king's feet.

"My lord." The demon responded and glanced at Lucy, "I take it the trip to the mortal realm was successful?"

"Very much so." Zeref chuckled and gestured at Lucy, "This is the Lady Lucy. My brother's bonded. She's agreed to be our guest for the foreseeable future."

"I hardly call coercion agreeing." Lucy muttered with a snort, and shot Zeref a glare.

"And yet you went willingly through the portal." Zeref replied, amusement flickering in his tone.

Lucy raised an eyebrow at him, "You're seriously going to play that card?" She asked incredulously, "Give me a break. We both know my options were either die there, and take Natsu with me, or live and give him a chance to come beat you into a pulp once and for all."

"You should watch your mouth human!" One of the demonesses snapped in outrage, "A human insect like you isn't worthy of so much as _speaking_ to our king!"

Lucy transferred her gaze despite the fear gripping her at the power radiating off these individuals, "And yet it's this 'human insect' that bonded to Natsu." She retorted, "A feat I notice you can't claim. Makes me wonder which of us is really deficient."

"You filth," the woman spoke, her voice cold but a slow smile curling over her lips. She didn't mount herself in a fury over her words, but merely drifted over to touch her finger just under Lucy's chin. She didn't graze her skin, but it was close enough for Lucy to feel the sparking of her magic.

"I only need one touch, just a single graze from me for you feel pain unlike anything you've ever felt before until you beg for death," the demoness promised her, "Perhaps my lord Zeref will allow me the opportunity to bring my beloved _pain_ to you."

Another demon threw his head back and cackled wickedly, laughing with utter glee. He pushed into Lucy's space, a mad smile bursting off the corners of his face as well as glittering madness boiling in the backs of his eyes.

"You've gone and pissed off Kyoka. Not a wise thing to do considering what her magic is. She'll get every drop of information END has given you," Jackal purred, "torture is her magic. While mine is-"

His fingertips crackled with magic that was more explosive than anything she had seen before.

"Let your prince come. He may eat fire now, because he sullied himself with dragon magic, but I'd like to see him try and eat a bomb when he comes to save you." Jackal cackled.

Lucy felt a fresh shiver of fear for Natsu as well as herself but she was careful not to show it on her face. Did demons have heightened senses like the dragons did? She wasn't sure, but she hoped not.

"Enough," Zeref said quietly, "once I have completed my tests on the woman to determine how the bindings work, Kyoka you can have your fun with her. It will be fascinating to see how deep the pain on her can afflict Natsu."

"But for now let's get her somewhere safe. It won't take my brother long to realize she's been taken, and knowing him he will charge in here with a single minded focus."

Lucy tried not to cringe as Zeref reached out to grab her arm only to gasp as an infuriated roar tore through the air, and the warmth she'd come to associate with Natsu coursed though her soothingly.

"Natsu!" She breathed with a grin, her relief palpable, and her eyes widened at the sight of the enormous dragon winging his way towards them, carving a swath of fire and destruction as he went.

 _"ZEREF!"_ Natsu roared, his voice shaking the very brick to the castle before him, _"WHERE DO YOU HAVE HER!"_

"Go!" Zeref commanded his demons sharply, and grabbed Lucy, "Stall him! I cannot risk him rescuing her!"

The demons obediently took off towards the rampaging dragon, and as soon as they were gone Zeref pulled at Lucy, fully intending to at least drop her into one of his tanks before his brother got in range. Or that was the plan anyway.

Except Lucy chose that moment to prove that she'd been an attentive student to both Natsu and Erza and promptly stomped on Zeref's instep before delivering a sharp elbow to the stomach. Not enough to hurt a demon perhaps, but more than enough to knock the breath out of one when caught by surprise.

And the last thing Zeref had expected was resistance.

His grip loosened fractionally, and Lucy seized the chance to tear herself free and sprint away as fast as she could move.

She dove for her keys, her heart pounding in fear that Zeref would pop up in front of her at any second, and nearly cried in relief when one practically leapt into her hand, "Open!" She cried, somehow knowing which she was holding, "Gate of the Lion!"

The words were barely out of her mouth when the spirit burst into brilliant light, coalescing in front of Zeref. Loke didn't hesitate and swung upwards, fist smashing square into the demon Kings jaw.

He staggered backwards, the holy light from the celestial spirits punch knocking right into him. The demon kings eyes narrowed with barely leashed rage.

"So your magic took the shape of the stars, one of the few magics to hurt a demon," Zeref said with ice in his voice, "I never suspected the heavens would bind themselves to a mere mortal."

"This mere mortal is leagues above you Zeref," Loke spread his stance and nodded towards Lucy, "I've got this, go get to Natsu!"

"And leave you on your own?" Lucy demanded, "That's not my style Loke! Let's kick his tail!"

She knew reasonably both she and Loke would not be able to defeat the king, only hold him off enough for Natsu to get there and possibly finish the job.

Loke gave Lucy a wry smile and tossed a hollow rod from his side to her, "If you're going to stay, you'll need that. It's a gift from Virgo."

Surprised, she channeled her magic through the instrument and found it forming the shape of a whip. Her eyes widened as she realized her spirits wanted her to be able to protect herself, and admittedly she could do more damage with a whip than with her bare hands.

"This is the first time spirits have contracted themselves," Zeref purred as he approached both lion and human, "but arm yourself with as many weapons as you like. Nothing is going to save you now."

-::-

While Lucy was squaring off against Zeref the demons loyal to their current king had made for their errant prince as fast as they could move only to discover the forces Natsu had brought with him behind him.

No sooner had one engaged the demon-dragon than one of Natsu's friends pulled them away, leaving the way clear for him to continue, and even in the depth of his rage Natsu couldn't help sparing a thankful thought for his friends.

As he landed heavily in the palace courtyard, he hastily shifted back down to his human form and glanced around. There was no one there, but that didn't slow him down as he turned and sprinted towards a walkway that would eventually lead to the roof of the palace. Lucy was that way. He was certain of it.

As he ran he passed by pockets of fighting and the clash of steel and magic as those loyal to him turned on their brethren, but he ignored them. Even if he could've told who was who apart, he didn't have time to stop and look. Though he couldn't stop a surge of satisfaction knowing he'd won over enough demons that the royal house itself was divided.

An explosive flash of holy light near the roof, which attracted more than just his attention, prompted him to speed up. There was only one way an attack like that could've happened, and he wasn't about to let Lucy face his brother alone any longer than he had to.

He took every short cut he knew, and if it meant scaling up the walls of the castle itself he would. He slipped through shadow gates between floors, stepping through the darkness until he was close enough to charge towards the light.

The light was Lucy. There was nothing else that spoke to him like it.

He burst up onto the roof, eyes furious and blazing as he caught sight of a struggling to stand Lucy being supported by an equally battered Loke.

In front of them was Taurus, trying and failing to keep Zeref at bay with his considerable strength alone.

Natsu took a second to feel the pride for Lucy summoning two spirits at once, but he could tell it was a move out of desperation. She was flagging now, barely capable of moving anymore.

And the injuries that were scattered over her, filled him to the brim with blind rage. It was coupled with the relief she was okay, and the usual giddiness from being the first time he had seen her in a couple of months, but that didn't calm his fury one bit.

He wanted to sweep her away from the dangers of this battlefield, proud she had done so well by herself with no other way of fighting. It was only right that he vanquished his queen's enemies. Otherwise what good was he for? He watched Zeref burst through Taurus' defense, taking the spirit down in a shower of gold as he rushed Lucy.

Quickly, Natsu stepped through the shadows, appearing before Lucy and the ragged Loke. He met Zeref head on, his expression blank as his hand wrapped around his brother's raised fist.

"Zeref," Natsu spoke, his voice quiet, barely heard over the din of battle around him.

"Natsu." Zeref replied, a slight look of surprise crossing his face at the interruption, "I wasn't expecting you so soon. How ever did you beat my demons so soon?"

Natsu didn't answer as Loke helped an exhausted Lucy to her feet, "Are you alright to stand?" The spirit asked her in concern.

"I'm fine." Lucy panted and immediately winced, "Not sure I'll be running any marathons soon though."

"Loke." Natsu growled without turning around, "I need you to get Lucy out of here. This is going to get messy, and I don't want her caught in the middle."

Loke stared at the demon for a moment and nodded, "Right." He scooped Lucy into his arms, ignoring her slight squeak of protest, "Good luck."

Natsu didn't reply or even glance in their direction as Loke ran off with Lucy as fast as he could. Instead he glared at his brother, his fury breaking through his expressionless mask.

"You kidnapped my bonded." He growled softly, his fist tightening where it was holding Zeref's in place, "You took her from her home and frightened her. You would've used her against me. Threatened her and hurt her. And when she resisted you tried to kill her."

Fire erupted around them as Natsu's eyes blazed red-gold, "You are going to _pay_ for what you've done to her!"

"Then you wish to challenge me little brother?" Zeref pulled his hand back, summoning shadows to his side in a vortex of ice. His red eyes met Natsu's, their stand off complete in that moment.

"No," Natsu breathed, fire bursting from his mouth as his own magic ran over, "I wish to _destroy_ you."

They came together in a clash, fire erupting between them intermingled with shadow. Zeref grasped a fistful of Natsu's hair, sinking his fist into the dragons stomach. Natsu didn't let himself pause to absorb the hit, striking his forehead hard into Zeref's skull.

Alone Natsu didn't believe he could win against an enemy like Zeref, but Lucy's magic was a companion, buffering lightly against his and pushing him to greater strengths.

He would be her sword, galvanized by the threat to their happiness. He would cut down any enemy for her. He snarled as shadows grasped at his ankles and slithered up his body like chains to keep him locked where he stood. He struggled against the shadows physically for a moment before Lucy's magic sparked in his veins.

He reached for it, Lucy's pure magic like her hand on his shoulder and gently unthreading the darkness wrapping around him.

"What!" Zeref exclaimed in shock as the holy magic crawled over his brother's body and dissolved the bindings on him without so much as causing a burn on Natsu, "How is that possible?"

Natsu smirked darkly, as he broke free and leapt forward, "Fire dragon's crushing fang!"

Zeref frowned as he hastily dodged the attack, "Resorting to dragon attacks already? Not exactly becoming of a demon prince."

There was no response as Natsu immediately leapt into the air and Zeref felt a trickle of unease make its way down his spine as Natsu summoned more fire. His brother had always been loud and impulsive in his anger. Prone to banter and easily provoked. A trait he'd picked up from their father. For him to be so quiet was just _wrong_.

And yet there was no doubting his baby brother's fury. He held nothing back as he launched attack after attack, the only words being spoken being the attacks themselves. Which did little to help Zeref as he'd paid little attention to his brother's dragon training.

At the time it had amused him, and he'd indulged it, thinking it harmless and perhaps ultimately useful. Now he was beginning to wish he'd paid closer attention.

Zeref had no way of knowing that while Leo had taken Lucy far enough away from the battle, she was quietly sitting still and giving as much of her strength that she had left to her bonded. While there wasn't much she could do in the actual fight anymore, she closed her eyes while Leo guarded her, lending her magic to ward off the shadows from Zeref's attacks.

He was not going to _touch_ her husband.

Natsu bounced back, step by step from the blades of shadow that threatened to cut him in half. He used every trick at his disposal, fire, shadow, his environment, and Lucy's precious shielding magic that helped counter his brother's attacks.

However, even with that it was not enough. He faltered for a moment and let out a sharp gasp of surprise as one of Zeref's blades came up too close to his face, only to gasp again in surprise as it to burst into light when it came harmlessly into contact. He and Zeref stared at one another for a stunned moment, but Natsu recovered first. An ice cold smile drifted over his face, amber eyes boiling in his quiet fury.

"This is the power of the 'pathetic woman' you tried to destroy!" Natsu growled softly as he rushed forward, his hand closing over Zeref's throat and catching his brother flat footed.

Zeref's eyes widened in horror as he struggled against the steely grip and Natsu pulled his fist back, "Fire Dragon King's..." Zeref struggled to lash out as a heat unlike any he'd encountered from his brother before engulfed the fist, but all of his attacks bounced off thanks to that holy shield, "Demoliton Fist!"

Natsu's grip around his throat vanished, but Zeref didn't have time to dodge before the impact of that heated fist crashed into his face, causing pain to explode all over as he was sent flying.

However, Natsu wasn't done yet. The demon prince gathered the last of his strength, "Fire Dragon King's Roar!" He bellowed, his eerie quiet finally shattered.

Zeref could do nothing but watch helplessly, every nerve screaming in agony, as his doom raced towards him.

The entire battlefield watched on as Zeref's shadow was obliterated by Natsu's flames.

There was complete stillness for several moments as the watching combatants struggled to comprehend what had happened. Then a rebel demon began a ragged cheer. One that was taken up by the rest of Natsu's followers as their faith was rewarded with a new king.

From where she'd been perched out of the way, Lucy opened her eyes and smiled, "It's over."

Loke smiled back at her, "It is. And a new era is opening for demons. Thanks to you."

He grinned as he helped her to her feet, "C'mon. I think there's someone else you'd rather be talking to right now."

Natsu surveyed the field, hardly aware of the audience he had gathered. He blinked at the touch of light rapidly approaching, and raced across the demolished battleground towards the walkway where Lucy was slowly moving towards him with Loke's help and smile of relief worked its way over his face.

Expression brightening, he sprinted to her side, wrapping her in his arms the moment she was within his grasp.

Slowly, relief surged through him and made him weak at the knees. Natsu sank down to the ground with her in his hold, injuries he had previously ignored making themselves known now that his bonded was back in his arms.

She was safe. She was okay and the bond was settling, and suddenly Natsu felt _drained._ His visions blurred at the edges and he wondered just how long ago he had burned out all his magic, and for how long his bond had been fueling him for. Though he supposed it didn't really matter. They'd won and she was right where she belonged. Back in his arms.

He smoothed his dirty hand over Lucy's sooty cheek, thumb brushing under her eye.

"Hey Luce, long time no see," Natsu teased, a smile of joy crawling over his face.

Lucy let out a disbelieving laugh, her fingers twisting into his hair and jerking him towards her in one motion.

She captured his lips right then and there, uncaring of the demons watching on as their new king reunited with their queen. For all Lucy knew in the world, was the profound relief and love that her husband was safe in her arms.

And the war was over.

* * *

 _ **And that's it! That's our last official chapter of Samhain! I hope it has been as wild and enjoyable a ride for you to read it as it was for us to write it! I want to thank everyone who has reviewed throughout the story. It's been awesome watching all of your many, and varied, reactions to what we put in. I hope to see a few more yet lol.**_

 _ **We DO have a little "What happened after?" epilogue we'll be posting Sunday as usual to give you all a little glimpse into the future, but as it's much shorter than our usual chapter length I won't be posting a preview of it. To do so would only give out spoilers and we wouldn't want that!**_

 _ **Much love to you my darlings! We'll see you Sunday with the epilogue! :)**_


	13. Samhain

**Hey everyone! Mslead here with your Sunday update! The last one for Samhain! Hope you guys enjoy it! Notes at the end of the chapter!**

* * *

 **EPILOGUE**

 ** _Samhain_**

 _Samhain (pronounced /ˈsɑːwɪn/ SAH-win or /ˈsaʊ.ɪn/ SOW-in, Irish pronunciation: [sˠəuɪnʲ]) is a Gaelic festival marking the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter or the "darker half" of the year. Traditionally, it is celebrated from 31 October to 1 November, as the Celtic day began and ended at sunset. This is about halfway between the autumn equinox and the winter solstice. It is one of the four Gaelic seasonal festivals, along with Imbolc, Bealtaine and Lughnasadh._

* * *

Lucy smiled as she strolled through the palace courtyard, nodding greetings to various demons as she passed.

The place had utterly transformed since the end of what had come to be called the Shadow War.

Natsu's first act upon taking the throne, after dealing with his brother's loyalists, had been to usher in a renaissance by flinging open the gates and welcoming trade and an exchange of ideas and culture from all races. Even human. Though that was largely limited to those few who were aware of the world that existed just beyond human perception.

The palace, and later the city, had been rebuilt with help from everyone involved resulting in a style that was an eclectic mix of everything, but still uniquely demonic. Something Lucy herself fully approved of. From what she'd seen before, demons had not had a use for gardens or fountains or anything ornamental really. But these days hundreds of gardens, large and small, dotted the landscape and new buildings bore intricate carvings and paint that couldn't rightly be called anything but beautiful.

"You can practically feel the excitement in the air." She noted in amusement to her lady-in-waiting and bodyguard Mirajane, "You'd think this was the first party we've ever thrown."

"Well can you blame them?" Mira laughed, "It's the anniversary of your bonding tomorrow. Two whole centuries since you and Natsu showed us another way was possible. That's something worth celebrating with all your heart don't you think?"

Lucy blushed a bit, but nodded, "I suppose so." She agreed, "It's just sometimes still a little hard to imagine that it's such a big deal."

She'd seen the evidence for herself of course. It was hard to miss when people stared at you in awe because you were bonded to their king. Even more so when Natsu had carefully made it known how she'd aided in the fight against Zeref, and their bond had been what carried the day.

Which, admittedly, was true, but he'd made her sound far more heroic than she'd felt at the time.

Still felt if she was being honest with herself.

Though she couldn't really complain. The story of her prowess had probably done more to protect her from Zeref's closet loyalists than anything else.

It didn't hurt that she really _could_ back up the boasts these days. Countless hours of training had worked wonders on her ability to work with her spirits, and often her training sessions were a spectacle for the people.

At a respectful distance of course.

No one wanted to be the poor sap that got caught if she missed after all.

"It really is, you two have been the start of change for us," Mirajane laughed and escorted Lucy through the beautiful walk throughs, "You two have finally brought peace to our home. Zeref is now no more than just a memory."

"Though there are still a few who would follow by him," Lucy admitted, "But I don't believe many would act on it. Natsu and I have done our best to make a good change."

"And you have. Our home is green now, no longer ash and fire," Mira smiled, looking up at the clear sky overhead, "We no longer have to burn ourselves to the ground for supplies or fight amongst our kind for help. Not when finally demons can be seen just as prosperous and kind to our allies."

"You alone have done much to change the perception of my kind, making it far easier for me to be with my family," She pressed a hand over her heart in gratitude.

"Then let's hope for a peace that continues," Lucy smiled, "Although I tend to believe Gajeel and Natsu will end in blows more often than not."

They entered the throne room where her husband was sprawled out on the floor. He had abandoned his crown and royal cape, leaving both in a heap while he played with something far more precious.

Lucy smiled at the sight of her two children laughing side by side as their father poked at their stomachs and blew warm puffs of air at them.

"Sting, don't pull your sisters hair," Natsu growled at his son, lightly bumping the blond little boy with his forehead. His son pouted and reluctantly let go of a rosy lock of hair only for Natsu's daughter to let loose a little scream of outrage and pounce on both father and son.

Lucy burst into laughter at the sight as Natsu comically allowed himself to be bowled over. Though Sting wasn't quite so lucky as he got hit by a flailing fist. However, any retaliation was derailed as all three looked up at her.

"I see you three are having fun." She teased as her children squealed in happiness and rushed over to cling to her legs, "Conducting serious affairs of state no doubt."

She reached down and swung her daughter up on her hip, pleased she was still small enough to do that, and dropped a kiss on Sting's forehead, "I came to tell you Jellal and Erza have arrived. They're in their usual suite next to Gray and Juvia."

"When did droopy drawers get here?" Natsu smirked as he hopped up and leaned over to pull her into a long kiss that had their son gagging.

"You're never going to give that up are you?" Lucy snickered, and Natsu just cackled.

She rolled her eyes, "And Erza wonders why you two get into so many fights. It's a wonder there isn't an official betting pool for when the next fight between you, Gray, and Gajeel will break out."

"Yeah, speaking of... where _is_ Metalhead. He's usually here first."

Lucy flicked a lock of his hair, "And if you'd been paying as much attention to what I was saying last night as getting my clothes off you'd know the answer to that. Levy's about to pop, so Gajeel's keeping her close to the nest until the twins are born. They'll come by once the hatchlings are strong enough to make the trip."

Natsu flashed her a roguish grin, "What can I say... my attention was occupied by more important things." He purred, "After all, I'm still fulfilling your wish."

"EWWWWW!" Sting exclaimed, somewhat violently in his reaction causing Natsu to snort out a laugh. Especially when his little girl echoed a much squeakier "ewwwwww!" After her big brother.

Natsu laughed and picked up his crown and cape. He dropped the crown on Sting's head, grinning as it went sideways. He buckled his cape around his shoulders and straightened up.

Together he ushered his family together and settled his hand on Lucy's back, "Come on then, let's go greet the Titania and Droopy Drawers."

Lucy snorted and settled herself next to her beloved king, "Yes, before that wish kicks back in again."

Over two hundred years and they were still together. It amazed Lucy just what could happen with what originally started off as a prank so many years ago.

A summoning circle filled with candy corn and bat confetti.

And look where they were now. The road had not been easy, or without its bumps, but they'd made it in the end and were still going strong. That was more than enough for her.

"I think next year I'd like to spend Halloween at the old house." She mused as they walked, "It's been a while and I'm feeling nostalgic."

Natsu smiled affectionately at her, "We can do that." He agreed softly, and caressed her hair, "After all, it's the best holiday around."

Lucy smiled and leaned into his shoulder, "It is."

After all, what other holiday was ridiculous enough to make her greatest wish come true?

* * *

 _ **And that's it! I'm glad everyone enjoyed this story, it's been a real pleasure to have you guys all standing by to read this one! We've taken a break from writing Reset (we've finished the first story), but we started up a new story. It's called tempest. We didn't have quite enough reviews for a sneak peek, but you did last chapter so here is the preview for our new story that will be coming out! Tempest! Thanks again, and it was a pleasure to write this giftfic for ya Phoenix-before-the-flame!**_

* * *

 _It had started off like a normal day for their crew, until the dragons of the sky sent a message whispering on the northern wind. Natsu had gone rigid, his face paling and his trademark grin had given way to an expression of fury._

 _Captain Natsu was not one to give up a fight, and his crew had known at that moment that they were about to go into battle._

 _They stole from a god._

 _And not one of them had regretted the decision. Not even now, with their ship burning in the choppy ocean, and with their half drowned captain barely clinging to life._

 _Gray knew he would have never forgiven himself if he had ignored his captain's orders._

 _"Where do you think you're taking this wretch?" A deep voice, cloaked in darkness rumbled behind him. The sled stopped moving, and Gray felt as if his legs had frozen solid._

 _He turned, fear clutching high in his chest as he looked into the face of destruction itself._

 _"Acnologia," Gray whispered._

 _He looked down at where the god's foot was pressing down on the sled, cracking it straight through the center without effort._

 _"Yes, that's the expression I want to see when you mere worms dare to oppose me," Acnologia spoke, his voice cutting through the raging storm._

 _The dark god stepped towards Gray, the man freezing in his spot in the face of such insurmountable power. He swallowed dry, his chest compressing in on itself._

 _"Are you proud of yourself for your insolence? For interrupting my wedding?" The gods voice was a deadly whisper, "Are you proud your captain stole my bride away?"_

 _"She wasn't your bride," Gray found his voice, "she was our friend."_

 _"SHE WAS MINE!" The god roared, fire and death lighting his eyes for a moment, "She was mine. Her beauty was beyond compare, and only my hand was worthy of it."_


End file.
